Delusional
by TheRealRenee
Summary: Stephanie has an unhealthy obsession with someone. Lita/Edge, Stephanie/Jericho, Trish/Christian, Triple H, Vince. Note: Reposted due to too few extra long chapters
1. Prologue

_**A/N: This is a repost of one of my oldest stories. Frankly, it was a mess when I originally wrote it in the sense that the four chapters it consisted of were WAAAAY too long, and I've looked through the story and broken it down into many more chapters. Hope it will be easier for you readers to actually sit down and take time to read. Enjoy! :)**_

_Two and a half years earlier..._

"I'm so excited!" Stephanie McMahon practically squealed with delight to her best friend, Amanda. She checked her hair and makeup in the mirror over her vanity table for what must have been the fiftieth time in an hour.

"I know, I know, Steph...it's not like you haven't told me that about a zillion times already," Amanda said, rolling her eyes teasingly. The truth was, she was a bit envious of her friend.

"You're just jealous," Stephanie said, tweaking Amanda's nose as she turned around on her chair. "I have a date with the most gorgeous guy in the universe!"

A pleasant shiver ran up and down her spine when she thought about him - he was so handsome and sweet. She usually didn't like "sweet" guys, favoring the bad boy type, but he had this mystique about him - and of course, he was drop-dead gorgeous. She'd had her eye on him for several months, and had finally worked up the nerve to ask him out. She'd been thrilled when he'd said yes, and now, here she was, getting ready for their date and waiting for him to pick her up...

"He's here!" Stephanie cried when she heard the doorbell ring. She jumped up from her seat, even though she didn't want to appear overly anxious. She calmed herself down a bit and glanced at Amanda, knowing the butler would let him in.

She guessed that her parents would greet him when he was let in, and she was actually relieved that this was their first date and not their fifth. She didn't want them to know certain things about her, like the fact that, despite what Daddy thought, she was not a virgin...


	2. Chapter 1

Adam Copeland glanced through his script for this week's RAW and did a double-take. Included in the pages was a note from WWF C.E.O. Linda McMahon. He pulled it out and sat down on the black leather couch in the locker room. His eyebrows arched up as he read the note's surprising contents.

Adam looked up as he heard someone else walk into the room. "Oh, hey, Matt," he said when he saw that it was his friend Matt Hardy. "You're not going to believe this..."

"Oh, hey, man, I already know. I just came back from seeing Amy. She told me that Linda McMahon wants her to be your new valet. Pretty cool idea."

"I guess," Adam said thoughtfully. He had mixed feelings about having anyone acting as his valet, as his Edge character had usually been more or less a loner, even though he'd been teamed up with his best friend, Jason Reso, for quite some time, after being a part of The Brood with Jay, as well as David Heath. On the other hand, Amy Dumas was a good friend of his, and although he usually saw her as "one of the guys," she was a beautiful woman and very easy on his eyes. He decided this might be fun after all.

"Amy said she's looking forward to it," Matt said, interrupting Adam's thoughts. "She thinks it'd be cool to be able to work with you."

_Hmm,_ Adam thought. _Yeah, this will be interesting._

An hour later, Adam walked to the room that Vince McMahon was using as his office for the evening. He stood for a moment outside the door, deep in thought, then knocked four times with his knuckles.

"Come on in," Mr. McMahon's voice called from within.

Adam went inside and instantly met the hazel eyes of Amy, who was already in the office for their meeting. She nodded a greeting to him and gave him a small smile. He gave her a little smile of his own.

"Thanks for coming, Adam," Vince started. "I was telling Amy here that I wanted to go over the plan with you a bit. Now, what we're going to have you do is to approach her after she comes to aid you in your match at No Way Out against Kurt Angle. Angle has you in the ankle lock, Amy runs out from the back, distracts Kurt and hurricanranas him, rescuing you in the process and giving you the chance to use your finisher on Angle and get the win. After this, for the next several weeks, wherever Amy is, _you_ are. She has a match, you come down to ringside to watch. She has an interview, you show up and thank and praise her. Eventually, you approach her one last time and ask her to join you. We're going to put you two in a mixed tag team match in the near future."

Adam glanced at Amy, who was staring at him, then looked back at the boss. "Sounds good." He grinned, meeting Amy's eyes again.

"Good. I've already discussed all of this with Amy, and she likes the ideas as well. We'll iron out all the specific details in due time. You two can get going now."

As they left the office together, Amy turned to Adam. "I'm really excited about the opportunity to work with you, Adam. I think we'll make an excellent team." Her eyes gleamed as she continued smiling at him.

"I agree," he admitted. "This should be interesting, to say the least. We've always worked against each other on TV, so it should be fun."

"Yeah." Adam thought for a moment, then said, "Hey, do you think the fans are going to like this idea, though? They know you best as the Team Xtreme girl."

"Oh, we can make them love this idea," she replied.

Adam gazed at her. Aside from being friends with her for two years, he couldn't deny his intense attraction toward her. But she only saw him as a friend, and he hadn't known her to date fellow wrestlers. Just his rotten luck.

Amy started to talk about what they, along with Matt, Jeff, Jay and Trish, were going to do for the evening. While she was speaking, Adam suddenly became aware of a presence nearby but farther down the hallway. From his peripheral vision, he could see that someone was watching them. He turned his head slowly in the direction of that person and saw that it was Stephanie McMahon, the boss' daughter. As he eyed her, Steph resumed walking the rest of the way to her father's office, gazing intensely at Adam and Amy as she passed them by.

Adam blinked and shook his head quickly. Stephanie kind of unnerved him. He'd felt that way ever since they went out that autumn night in 1999. Before they'd gone out, he'd been intrigued by her and had been flattered when she'd asked him out. She was so pretty, and she seemed to be very sweet and down to earth, the kind of girl with whom he wanted to be involved...but boy, was he wrong! It had turned out that Stephanie was the kind of person who was obsessed with power and how to obtain it. She was so much like her father in that regard. Adam had felt uncomfortable by that as well as the fact that Steph seemed to want him for his looks alone. She hadn't actually said as much, but her mannerisms spoke volumes for her. He refused to be the trophy boy for some rich, arrogant, snobby girl.

--

"What was that all about, Daddy?" Stephanie questioned Vince. She was a bit annoyed after seeing Adam and Amy acting chummy together in the hallway. She knew they were friends, but she'd become incensed when she just happened by and saw the way Adam was gazing at Amy - so intensely. Maybe there was something between them - maybe there was something going on between them! The mere thought sickened her.

"We are going to put the two of them together, sweetheart," Mr. McMahon replied as he calmly sat down on the leather loveseat on one side of the room. "That is, Lita will be Edge's new valet. It's all planned out."

"Edge and Lita...?!" Stephanie frowned. She didn't like the sound of this. "Who the hell came up with that idea?"

"Your mother did, honey."

Stephanie felt her blood beginning to boil. Her lips pursed into an angry smirk. "Oh, it was Mom's idea...I should've known!" Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "Well, that's just great, Dad...just _great_!" She gritted her teeth.

Vince studied his daughter warily. She looked furious, but it was more so than that. She somehow seemed to be personally affected by the news he'd just given her. What was it that had so offended her? She seemed - jealous. He recalled how his little girl had gone on a date with Adam Copeland a little more than two years ago, and she had seemed crazy about him - but it hadn't worked out between them, and they'd only been on that one date. Besides, Stephanie had become engaged to her boyfriend, Paul Levesque, just three months earlier. So, what was the problem?

"Steph...calm down. Your mother thought the fans would like this idea, and she brought it to my attention - I agree with her. I think the fans do want to see this."

"Oh, please!" Stephanie cried. "Quite the contrary, Dad - Edge has always more or less been a loner, even though he's been with The Brood and a tag team with Christian. Well, now that he's solo again, he should _stay_ a loner! It doesn't make sense any other way!"

"I'm sorry, Steph," Vince replied, "but we've already decided to go along with this angle. There are no more discussions about it."

Stephanie sulked and pouted and didn't utter another word. She was seething inside. In fact, she was so angry that she could feel a small vein throbbing in her neck. Before her father could say any more, she turned and stormed out of his office. She walked briskly down the hallway of the arena. She felt as though her life were coming apart at the seams. She couldn't get out of her mind the image of Adam's face as he'd been gazing at Amy. He'd looked enamored. He looked like he was in love with her!

Blinking back hot, scalding tears, Steph kept walking aimlessly and almost collided with someone. She was ready to tell off the poor, unfortunate soul until she saw who it was.

"Hey, babe...what's the matter?" Chris Irvine's voice spoke soothingly to her as he put one hand on her chin to tip her face up. He frowned when he saw the unhappy expression on her usually satisfied face.

"What are you doing, Chris?" she said in a loud whisper. "Not _here_ - what if someone sees us?" Her eyes flashed at him angrily.

Chris' clear blue eyes showed momentary hurt. "Sorry." He studied her. Stephanie looked so full of despair that he just wanted to put his arms around her and kiss her deeply.

For the past seven months, Stephanie and Chris had been carrying on a passionate yet discreet affair. There had always been something between them, although Steph didn't love him in any way. The most she could admit feeling for him was friendship. And Paul - Paul was a man she felt more strongly about than Chris, and she felt secure with him financially and professionally. Although she loved him, she realized that she was not _in_ love with him. In fact, there was no way she could ever have a deep and meaningful passion for any other man like that which she felt for Adam.

"So, come on, baby," Chris was saying to her. He interrupted the reverie she was having about her golden boy. "Why don't we go somewhere private?" His hand was still caressing her chin.

Stephanie pushed his hand away. "Not now, Chris," she said with gritted teeth. She didn't want to bother with him right now. If she did, she would just end up having sex with him and fantasizing about Adam during it. Right now, she didn't feel much in the mood for Chris. "Maybe later...I'm not really in the mood. Okay?"

"Okay, babe," Chris said with disappointment. "You know where you can find me if you want me later."

"I know," Stephanie replied. With those words, she broke away from him and continued her walk down the hall.


	3. Chapter 2

_February, No Way Out Pay-Per-View (three weeks later)_

"...Edge is in trouble!" J.R. exclaimed from the announcer's table. "Angle has him set up for the Olympic Slam - but wait!"

"Edge just squirmed out of that one!" Jerry Lawler shouted. "Ahhhhhhh! Edgecution time! No--"

As Edge attempted his finishing maneuver, Kurt Angle managed to avoid it and swiftly reversed his opponent into a belly-to-belly suplex. Afterward, as Angle got to his feet and celebrated by yelling "woo," Edge speared him. However, the young blond Canadian was so exhausted from the grueling twenty-minute match that he didn't immediately go for the cover. The referee began to count for both men, who lay sprawled on the mat. By five, Edge rolled over and threw an arm over his opponent for the pinfall. Angle kicked out at two, but with surprising quickness and adrenaline, sprang to his feet and grabbed Edge in the Ankle Lock. Edge attempted to inch his way to the ropes, but Angle pulled him to the center of the ring. As the Canadian valiantly continued trying to reach the ropes, Angle twisted his ankle even more. Edge's face contorted into a grimace of pain. There seemed to be nothing more he could do, but he didn't tap out. He wouldn't give up - couldn't.

"What's this?" J.R. asked as the shapely form of Lita suddenly emerged as the diva ran from the back to the ring.

"I don't know," Lawler said. "What's Lita doing out here?"

The redheaded high flyer immediately climbed up onto the apron, directly in the line of Kurt Angle's view. Upon seeing her, the Olympic Hero released his hold on Edge and started shouting and pointing at her.

"What the hell is she doing here?" he yelled.

Edge started to crawl to the other side of the ring, where he grabbed onto his injured ankle and attempted to stand up. Referee Teddy Long followed and aided him, checking to see if Edge could continue the match. He hadn't seen Lita at all.

Meanwhile, Lita took advantage of the referee's distraction and of Kurt's confusion by scrambling up the top turnbuckle. She quickly took Angle down with a hurricanrana that landed him smack in the center of the ring. As she hopped off the apron, Edge hobbled over and made the pin, and Teddy Long counted three. The match was over - Edge was victorious.

Lita backed up slowly on the ramp, watching Edge as he got painfully to his feet and regarded her curiously with a look of confusion on his face.

"Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?" J.R. shouted.

"Lita just helped Edge win the match - that's what happened!" Jerry cried.

--

"You were awesome," Adam told Amy as they were relaxing backstage after the match. "You did everything perfectly. It couldn't have gone better."

"Thanks," Amy replied with a slightly shy smile.

Adam grinned at her as they sat on opposite ends of a small couch in a deserted locker room. She looked so sweet when she looked shy. Over the past couple of weeks, she'd appeared quite shy around him, and he wondered about that now. He was so thrilled he was going to be working with her from now on. She was so talented, and he knew they would make an excellent team. Besides, he recently realized that he'd developed strong feelings for her that went far beyond just friendship. He was falling deeply in love with her.

Actually, in some ways, it wasn't good that they would be working together. At times, Adam would gaze at Amy and find himself getting aroused, which would not be a good thing to happen in front of an audience. Also, he wasn't sure that Amy reciprocated anything even remotely like the feelings he had for her, despite her occasional shyness around him.

_Just talk to her_, he told himself. _Just do it_... He told himself that often, but somehow, he couldn't get up the courage. Why was he so uncertain and nervous? He'd never been that way with a woman before. Adam realized what it was. He believed Amy was the type of girl who would not only reject a fellow wrestler, but also a friend out of fear of what might happen if it didn't work out between them. Intuitively, he sensed that she was exactly that type of person - one who wouldn't risk losing a friendship for a relationship.

"Adam?" Amy said. She waved a hand in front of his face.

"What?" He blinked, meeting her eyes. "I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

"I asked if you were okay - I lost you for a minute there. You got this blank expression on your face and just seemed a million miles away. What were you thinking about?" She gazed at him with concern.

"Err...nothing. Just about how we're going to pull off the next show," he said lamely. Actually, he'd been imagining what it would be like to kiss her, but he didn't want her to know that.

"Really?"

"Yeah..."

"Are you sure that's all it was?" Amy asked. "Because I could have sworn there was definitely something more to it than that."

"Like what?" Adam questioned.

Amy slid over, closer to him, and, to his surprise, she placed a hand gently on his cheek, sliding it into his long blond hair. "Like this," she said softly, leaning over to kiss him tenderly on the cheek.

Afterward, she met his eyes, and Adam's heart began to pound. Could it be? Gazing into her eyes, Adam dared to move his face closer to hers until their lips met. They kissed passionately, and Adam's breathing quickened.

The next thing he knew, he was lying on his back on the couch with Amy on top of him, and they continued kissing. Amy entwined her fingers in his hair and caressed his cheeks, and Adam stroked her back and allowed his hands to travel down to her buttocks. He felt himself growing hard against her. He held her tightly down against him and moaned softly as she began fondling him through his wrestling tights.

Adam felt like he was dreaming. Was he really here, on this couch, in this locker room, making out with Amy Dumas? The sound of her voice told him that he wasn't dreaming and that this was really happening.

"Mmm...like that?" Amy asked breathlessly as she continued fondling the now large bulge in his pants, a smile on her face.

"Uh huh," was all Adam could manage as a reply as he kept his eyes locked on hers.

Still straddling him, Amy leaned over slightly and kissed him, and Adam responded, fervently kissing her back. He ran one hand through her long red hair, which was now damp with sweat. After a few minutes, Amy lifted her head from his to gaze deeply into his eyes again.

"Amy," Adam said softly. "You don't know how long I've been wanting to do that...kiss you, I mean."

"Really?" she said, then smiled again. "I had a feeling for awhile. I kept picking up this vibe whenever we were together. I've noticed the way you look at me." She leaned down and they kissed again. Afterward, she move slightly and began tugging at the waistband of Adam's tights. Adam moved a bit and watched as she pulled his wrestling tights down. Amy then repositioned herself, smiling at him as she met his eyes again, then she began to go down on him. Adam sighed and reached down to gently caress her hair as her lips, teeth and tongue lavished him. He let out a soft moan.

--

Stephanie was livid now that she'd witnessed the beginning of the new Edge/Lita angle. She couldn't believe her bitch of a mother. Well, she'd show _her_! Leave it to Mom to make my life miserable, she thought bitterly. She continued walking down the hallway and stopped right outside of a locker room and suddenly heard a voice coming from within.

"Oh, God...Amy!"

Stephanie frowned. That sounded like Adam! What the hell was going on in there? Ears perked up, she leaned closer to the door, straining to hear more. To her shock and dismay, she then heard a female voice utter something unintelligible. She suddenly realized what must be taking place in there - Amy's mouth was "full."

Stephanie felt as though a cannonball had been shot into her stomach. Stifling a cry with one hand over her mouth, she stumbled away from the door. She felt sick and thought her tears would pour forth at any moment. She wanted to die.

Mechanically, she left the arena. As she got into her limo, she instructed the driver where to take her. Paul wouldn't miss her, as he still had a match at the end of the night. But there was one person whose match had already ended, and she had to go see him.

--

Adam moaned with pleasure as Amy rode him with deep, regular strides. They were both dripping with sweat as they made love. He held firmly to her waist and guided her movements, alternately moving one hand to caress her in a way that made her cry out.

"Adam...Adam!" Amy cried as she came. She moved faster and faster, causing Adam to come at the same time.

"Oh, God..." He emptied himself into her and tried to catch his breath. After it was over, they lay in each other's arms, both still breathing heavily. Adam stroked Amy's hair and cheek and gazed at her. "I can't believe we just did that," he admitted.

Amy smiled up at him, fully sated. "Why not?" "Just because it happened so suddenly. I mean, we just had our first kiss only a few minutes before it happened. And...wow!" His grin widened.

Amy laughed softly. "I've imagined that for a long time now, Adam...what it would be like to make love to you. And in reality, it was a lot better than it ever was in my fantasies." Their eyes locked and held for a moment before Adam leaned slightly over to tenderly kiss her on the forehead.

--

Stephanie knocked on the door to room 519 in the Holiday Inn and was certain that she would unleash a torrent of tears when the door was opened. To her surprise, it didn't happen.

"Steph," Chris said with a smile as he looked her up and down with pleasure. "What a sight you are after the beating I took in my match earlier tonight." He stood aside to let her in.

Stephanie practically marched into the center of the room, trying to hold her emotions in check. She couldn't get the images out of her mind - the images of Amy and her Adam engaging in perverse positions...touching each other inappropriately...sharing things that should never be shared between Adam and any woman other than herself.

She suddenly realized that Chris was pouring her a drink - champagne, she realized. "I don't want anything to drink, Chris," she protested.

"Aw, come on, sugar," he said as he gazed at her, glass in hand. "It'll loosen you up a little, and you look really tense. On the other hand, I know a few _other_ ways I can loosen you up." He gave her that lascivious grin of his that made so many women weak in the knees.

"Chris, I don't want a drink...I just want...I want..." He put the glass down on the nightstand and came closer to her. He let his right hand trail from behind her left ear to down to her left nipple, which he easily sought within the confines of her conservative black blazer and tight pink T-shirt.

"What do you want, Steph?" Stephanie's breath caught in her throat at his light-as-a-feather touch. He already had her aroused.

She gazed directly into his eyes and said softly, "Make love to me, Chris..."

Without a word, Chris slowly removed her blazer, then leaned over to kiss her on the neck. Steph closed her eyes and savored the feeling of his hot lips on her flesh. His right hand sought her breast and cupped it.

A moment later, Chris turned his attention on Stephanie's miniskirt, which he quickly yanked down. Slowly, he pulled down her panties, which were pink to match her shirt and bra.

Once he had her completely undressed, he took both her hands in his and led them to his belt buckle. Steph eagerly followed his lead and undid the belt and then his jeans. Chris was about to get on top of her on the edge of the bed, but Stephanie repositioned herself, turning her back to him. She heard Chris chuckle softly before he entered her. She closed her eyes as he thrust into her, and the tears finally came.

_Adam, Adam, oh, Adam_, she thought as her cheeks were moistened by her tears. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Stephanie. She was the WWF's head writer. She could add whatever she wished to any angle taking place, at any time.

"Oh, God...oh, yes..." she moaned as she climaxed. Chris held tightly to her waist and thrust even faster and harder into her from behind. All along, it was really Adam who was in her mind. She had to bite her lip to prevent herself from screaming out his name as her body was overcome with extreme pleasure. She felt even more pleasure as she suddenly thought up brilliant concoctions she could come up with in the very near future. And she would enjoy every moment of it.


	4. Chapter 3

"Guess what?" Adam asked Jay Reso, his best friend, as they sat flipping through the channels of the TV in the hotel room they were sharing. "You'll never believe it."

Jay studied Adam. He noted the huge grin on his friend's face and realized that this must have something to do with a girl.

"Who'd you pick up, dude?" he asked with a grin of his own.

"Well, I didn't 'pick up' anyone...not exactly," Adam admitted. Then, after a beat, he said, "Amy and I got together tonight."

"Amy? Amy Dumas? Are you kidding me, man?" Jay's smile widened.

"No, I'm not kidding. We were hanging out in the locker room after my match, just talking, and she kissed me. Next thing I knew, we were all over each other."

"Whoa, whoa...so, you guys had sex, right?" Jay moved so that he was sitting on the edge of his bed, as if to get all of the juicy details.

"Yeah," Adam said. "It was amazing...absolutely amazing. She is amazing."

"So, how was she? What did you guys do exactly?" Jay still wore that silly grin.

"A gentleman never tells," Adam said innocently. "It was beautiful. And it wasn't just sex, either, Jay. I love Amy."

"Wow...did you tell her that?"

"No, not yet. I just want to make sure she feels the same way about me first," Adam said, tossing back some of his long blond hair.

"Well, that's great, Adam," Jay said sincerely. "I'm sure she does love you. You guys are great friends, and she respects you and likes you a lot." He grinned again. "And may I say it's about damn _time_! You have had the hots for her like forever!"

--

Stephanie McMahon was distraught. She glanced over to the other side of the bed and watched Chris Irvine as he peacefully slept.

They'd been laying in the bed for the past hour and some odd minutes, after sex. She hadn't felt much in the mood to talk, so Chris had done all of that while she merely pretended to listen. She'd been distracted the entire time Chris spoke, as Adam was still on her mind.

She could not believe that Adam had slept with Amy. Thinking about this again now, she felt sick to her stomach. She had to get back to her own room, as Paul was probably back by now. He would get worried or suspicious if she wasn't there.

Rising from the bed quietly so as not to wake Chris, she made her way out of the room. Stephanie swallowed hard as she envisioned facing Paul now. She realized she didn't want to deal with him, just like she hadn't wanted to deal with Chris. The only man she could think about was Adam. Beautiful, sweet, gentle Adam.

She almost cried out as she climbed the stairs one flight to the sixth floor of the hotel. It suddenly hit her - she couldn't marry Paul! As good as they were together in a business sense, it wouldn't be right to wed a man with whom she wasn't in love.

Now at the door to her room, Stephanie stopped and held her hands up to her temples. She had a lot to think about, and it wasn't going to be easy dealing with it later on.


	5. Chapter 4

_RAW is WAR, the following month_

"...Christian has Edge in a sleeper hold. Edge seems to be quickly fading, King," J.R. said to his colleague.

"Nighty night, Edge. HAHA!" Lawler laughed.

Lita, in Edge's corner, pounded on the apron from the outside. "Come on, Edge!" she shouted encouragingly.

"Lita, rooting on her man," J.R. said. "The referee now checking to see if Edge is conscious or not. Christian could win this thing right here..."

"Yeah, c'mon, Christian! Ahhhhhh!" Jerry screamed as Edge suddenly rose his arm against the referee's three-count, broke free, and reversed the sleeper on his brother and former tag team partner.

"What is this?" J.R. suddenly exclaimed as Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley suddenly appeared from the crowd. She was wearing a black, low-cut tank top and blue jeans. "What the hell is Stephanie doing out here?"

Immediately after J.R. uttered those words, Stephanie suddenly sprang onto an unsuspecting Lita, whose back was turned, and who hadn't seen her. With surprising strength and agility, the boss' daughter grabbed the other woman by the hair and threw her face-first into the steel ring steps.

"Ahhhhhh! What's going on, here?!" Lawler yelled.

"Stephanie McMahon just attacked Lita!" J.R. cried. "What the hell was _that_ for?"

Stephanie continued to smash Lita face-first into the steps a second, then third, then a fourth time. She then tossed her to the arena floor and proceeded to kick her in the ribs.

"My God! Someone _stop_ her!" J.R. yelled.

At this point, Edge and Christian had literally stopped their match and stared in confusion at the attack on the outside. Referee Charles Robinson called for the bell to put an end to the match and also watched the ambush, shocked.

After one final kick, Stephanie stood over Lita, who was now bleeding from a gash in her forehead, and began to laugh and point down at the other woman. She started backing away slightly and looked up only just in time to see Edge flying straight at her. The wind knocked out of her, Stephanie fell onto her back painfully on the arena floor as she was speared by the 240-pound man.

Edge, Christian and Robinson then all stooped over, helping Lita to her feet. The young woman was hurt, and she was bleeding pretty badly. Edge seemed to take over as he helped her to her feet and eyed her with concern. "_Oh, my God_," the people in the front row could hear him saying.

The referee went to check on Stephanie, slowly helping her up to her feet. She placed one hand on her lower back, onto which she'd landed with Edge's spear. A grimace of pain contorted her features.

As Edge held Lita up gently, he and Christian looked her over with concern and spoke to her, trying to see if she was all right. She nodded, holding one hand against her head, and winced.

"Lita does not look good, King..."

Edge turned his gaze from Lita to Stephanie McMahon, who still stood nearby, the referee still attending to her. As he eyed the woman who had viciously attacked his valet, his expression changed to a cold glare, his greenish-brown eyes full of rage.

After a moment, turning away, now only concern and tenderness on his face, Edge gently lifted Lita up into his arms and carried her to the backstage area.

--

"I cannot believe what happened out there!" Adam spat angrily as he and Amy drove back to the hotel after being in the emergency room for four hours.

Amy winced and tried not to touch her bandage, underneath which lay fourteen stitches on the raw gash on the left side of her forehead.

"Neither can I...my head is killing me, Adam." She closed her eyes, wishing the Tylenol a nurse had given her would kick in already.

"That fucking _bitch_!" Adam yelled as he gestured angrily with his left hand and steered the wheel of the rental car with the other. "Who the hell does she think she is?? What the hell was all _that_ for?!"

"I don't know," Amy said quietly. "It certainly wasn't in my script for this week. Maybe something was changed at the last minute and they forgot to tell us about it. Maybe Stephanie is supposed to be working with Jay now."

"That can't be," Adam insisted. "If that was the case, then why was Jay just as shocked as we were? Stephanie McMahon went out there specifically to _hurt_ you, Amy. I don't know _why_, but that's what I know."

Amy shook her head slowly. It didn't make any sense. Why would Stephanie want to hurt her? She still thought it all had to be some kind of misunderstanding, something that had very recently been written into the script and of which they hadn't had a chance to be informed. At the moment, she didn't really care. All she wanted was to go back to her hotel room and get some sleep.

Adam eased the car into a free space in the small parking lot behind the hotel. He got out of the driver's side and went over to the passenger's side, helping Amy out of the car. He gazed down at her and winced. _Poor thing_, he thought as he laced his fingers through hers and gently squeezed her hand. He was glad he'd speared Stephanie. How _dare_ she try to hurt his precious, beautiful Amy?!

When they were in their hotel room, he helped Amy to the bed and lay beside her. She closed her eyes, and Adam gently stroked the uninjured side of her forehead. He blinked at her with concern, then moved so that his lips were upon hers and kissed her gently but passionately. She kissed him back and put one arm around him, stroking his hair.

Adam repositioned himself slightly so that he was just hovering over Amy, and their kiss intensified. She now held onto him with both hands, letting out a soft moan while they kissed. Adam's erection prodded at her stomach, and he felt a little guilty about wanting to make love to her while she felt so lousy. He suddenly pulled back.

"Maybe we shouldn't," he said, gazing with concern down into her hazel eyes. "You're hurt, baby." He gently fingered the area surrounding her wound, nearly overcome by the depth of his feelings for her.

"I'll live," Amy said softly, gazing up into his brown eyes. "It's okay...really. Come here," she whispered. She rose her head slightly to kiss him again, and he kissed her back, feeling more in love with her than ever.

Gently, he removed her shirt, kissing the areas surrounding her injury, and she smiled slightly. She reached down and undid his jeans, then let her hands travel inside them. Adam let out a soft moan as she touched him, his eyes never leaving hers. After a few more minutes, both their garments completely removed, they began to tenderly make love.

--

Stephanie felt great - in fact, she felt absolutely terrific. As she stood in front of a mirror in a locker room, brushing out her long brown hair, she realized she suddenly had company.

"Hey, Trish," she said cheerfully as she noticed Trish Stratus suddenly walk in. The young blonde had become somewhat of a friend over the past year and a half, since Trish had joined the WWF.

Trish didn't bother to respond to Steph's niceties. A serious expression on her face, her dark brown eyes indignant, she stormed directly beside Stephanie and glared at her.

"What the _hell_ was that out there?"

Stephanie put down her hairbrush and calmly faced the other woman.

"Whatever do you mean, Trish?" she asked, an innocent but satisfied smile on her face.

"Cut the crap, Stephanie - you viciously attacked Amy out there! In front of about twenty-thousand people - not to mention the other whatever million watching at home on TV! What the hell is _wrong_ with you?!"

Stephanie eyed Trish warily. The blonde seemed angry enough to strike her at any moment. Trish was one of Amy's best friends, and Steph knew she was fiercely loyal to the bitch. Nevertheless, she decided to confide in Ms. Stratus.

"That 'attack,' as you just called it, was something I added to tonight's script at the last minute. Lita needed a good beating, and I decided that the best person to give it to her was Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley." She laughed softly, throatily, eyes on the other girl's.

Trish shook her head. "But why? What did she ever do to you?"

"Why, Trish - you sound like you think it's personal."

"You're right - because I _do_!" Trish raised her voice. "It looked _very_ personal!"

"Well, it _is_," Stephanie hissed in a dangerously low whisper, gazing directly into the eyes of the other woman. "That worthless whore stole my man!" Her hands clenched into fists so hard that she felt her nails digging into her palms.

"What? What are you talking about?" Trish asked, a look of great confusion on her face.

"I'm talking about Adam..."

"Adam?" Trish shook her head, totally perplexed. Since when was Adam Copeland _Stephanie's_ man?? Adam and Amy had been an item for the past couple of months now, and she never heard of anything going on between him and Stephanie McMahon. "You're nuts," she finally said. "Adam is _Amy's_ man, not yours! You've got Paul - _and_ Chris!" She made a sour face when she said those last two words, as she had no respect for cheating, or for cheaters.

"You don't know a damn thing, Miss Trish!" Stephanie said. "You don't know much at all. Oh, I had something with Adam, all right. We went out, hit it off, the whole works. I knew as soon as I laid eyes on him that we were meant for each other. He is the most beautiful man I've ever met, and I've never felt so strongly about another man in my entire life!" Then, chuckling softly, she added, "Don't you think we'll have some really beautiful children someday?" Her smile looked genuine.

Trish glared at her in amazement. Stephanie was totally delirious. She and Adam had no relationship whatsoever. Trish didn't know anything about the two of them dating in the past, but there was definitely nothing between them now - at least not in Adam's eyes. He was so obviously head-over-heels in love with Amy, and no one else. She shook her head, actually feeling sympathetic toward Stephanie McMahon.

Trish knew one thing for sure. Eventually, Amy would have to be told about this, as she sensed that both she and Adam were completely oblivious to the obsession Stephanie apparently felt toward Adam. And _she_ would be the one to tell her.


	6. Chapter 5

_One week later_

That morning, Amy had her stitches removed. Luckily, as the doctor who'd sutured her up had promised, she was left without a scar.

Now, in the early afternoon, she and Adam sat alone at a small table in the dining room of a Hilton Hotel in Boston, the WWF's latest stop. Adam gently fingered her forehead, where she had been hurt. He gazed intensely into her eyes, moving his hand from her brow to her cheek. He still hadn't yet told her he loved her, and this seemed to be the perfect moment.

"Amy," he began. But before Amy could reply and before Adam could continue, he was suddenly interrupted.

"Excuse me, you two..." They both looked up at the buff form of Paul Levesque, who was standing over their table. "...have either one of you seen Stephanie?"

Adam's eyes narrowed at the mention of Paul's financee's name, and Amy noticed.

"No, we haven't," she answered for both of them.

"Okay...well, thanks anyway," Paul said before walking away.

Amy turned back to Adam, who now appeared slightly distracted. "So, what were you saying?" she asked, grasping both his hands.

Adam debated with himself about whether he should say it here or in the privacy of their hotel room. Finally, he made up his mind. "Well," he said, gazing deeply into her eyes, "I just wanted to say-"

"Hey, guys," a southern accent suddenly interrupted.

Adam looked up impatiently into the face of Jeff Hardy, whose hair was currently fluorescent green with slight touches of orange. His older brother Matt stood beside him.

"What's going on?" Matt asked, a smile spreading across his face. Amy glanced from Matt to Jeff, to Adam and then back to the Hardys again.

"Well, Adam's been trying to tell me something, but everybody keeps interrupting." She gave each of the brothers a meaningful look in turn.

"That's right," Adam said, eyeing both his friends with a touch of annoyance.

Now Jeff's face also wore a silly grin.

"Sorry, dude. We just wanted to know if you guys wanted to hang out in a few. We're gonna catch a movie."

Amy turned her eyes from Jeff to Adam, to see his reaction. She read his expression and then gave an answer for the both of them.

"Nah, but thanks for the offer, guys."

"Sure thing. Catch you two later then," Matt said before he and Jeff left.

Amy turned back to Adam, shaking her head and rolling her eyes in mock exasperation, but smiling all the same.

"Now, what were you saying, baby?"

Adam knew instinctively that, if he opened his mouth to speak again while they were still sitting there, there would be yet another interruption.

"I have an idea," he said. "Let's get out of here. I'll tell you upstairs." He rose from his chair, and Amy did the same.

Holding hands, they made their way out of the dining area, and Adam felt relieved. Now he would finally get the chance to tell her - with no interruptions. He was wrong again - as they were exiting, the petite form of Trish Stratus appeared before them.

"Hi, Amy...hi, Adam," she said, smiling. Then, quick as lightning, Trish's expression turned serious. "Can I speak with you privately for a moment, Amy?"

Amy, noting something important on her friend's face, nodded. "Sure."

"I'm sorry, Adam," Trish apologized. "I know you two probably want to go out and do something alone, but this will only take a few minutes."

"It's okay, Trish," Adam said, even though he couldn't believe they'd had yet another interruption. "I'll meet you in our room," he said to Amy, giving her a quick peck on the lips before he disappeared down the corridor.

"What's going on?" Amy asked when Adam was gone. "Come with me to my room...I'll explain there..."

When the two women were in Trish's hotel room, Amy didn't even bother to sit down. She sensed that whatever her friend had to talk to her about, it would be fast. Trish didn't beat around the bush.

"Something weird is going on, Ames. Stephanie McMahon attacking you on RAW last week was not just for the show like she has everyone believing."

"What?" Amy asked. "You sound just like Adam."

"Do I? Well, I'm not really surprised he didn't say anything to you."

"About what? What are you talking about, Trish?"

Looking her friend squarely in the eye, Trish said, "I confronted Stephanie the night she attacked you. When I saw what she did, I knew she'd singled you out for some reason, and I asked her about it. And...she told me why she did it."

"Go on," Amy said. This should be interesting. "She has this weird obsession with Adam," Trish revealed. "I don't know how long it went on, or what exactly happened between the two of them, but Amy - according to Stephanie, they dated at one time."

"_What_?" Amy asked. She was shocked. "You've _got_ to be kidding me!"

"I'm not. Stephanie told me they did. I don't know when, or how long, or how serious, but I believed her when she told me. She...she hates you, Amy. She completely resents you and accused you of 'stealing her man'."

"That's preposterous!" Amy shouted. She began to pace the floor in her anger. "She's engaged to Paul Levesque, for crying out loud!"

"I know," Trish said, nodding. And fucking Chris Irvine on the side, she thought bitterly. "Amy, I'd watch my back if I were you. Stephanie McMahon is a woman with a lot of power - she can break you - and she's also a woman with an obsession."

Amy was nearly seething now. "I'm going to have a little talk with Adam and get to the bottom of this!" she said.

"I'm sorry I had to tell you something that would upset you so much," Trish said. "But you're my friend, and I felt you needed to know."

"No, don't apologize - I'm _glad_ you told me, Trish. Thank you. I have to go talk to Adam now. See you later." She walked straight to the door and let herself out.

--

"Amy, I just wanted to tell you that I love you," Adam said to his reflection in the mirror above the bathroom sink as he rehearsed. "Amy - you mean the world to me, and..."

He stopped when he heard the front door open and close. "Hey, you," he said with a smile as he poked his head out from the bathroom's doorway. His smile vanished when he noticed the expression on Amy's face. She looked unhappy. He approached her. "What's wrong?"

Amy turned her face from him momentarily, then glared up at him. "Tell it to me straight, Adam Copeland - _did_ you or _didn't_ you used to date Stephanie McMahon?"

Adam blinked at her in surprise, then ran a hand through his mane of long blond hair. So, was _this_ what Trish had so urgently needed to speak to Amy about? Then, how did Trish know? "No - I mean, we went on one date about two and a half years ago, but that was it."

Feeling hurt, Amy glared up into his brownish-green eyes. The expression on her face nearly broke Adam's heart. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" she demanded.

Adam reached over and encircled her waist with his muscular arms. "Because it was a long time ago and was no big deal, hon..." He leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled back.

"No big deal? Adam, according to Trish, Stephanie is completely obsessed with you! You call that 'no big deal'?!"

Adam gazed at her uncertainly. "What do you mean 'obsessed'?"

"What do you _think_ I mean, Adam? I mean obsessed - literally _obsessed_! What exactly happened between you two?"

Adam didn't like the way Amy kept backing away from him. She seemed to suddenly not trust him, and there was no reason for that. He had always been completely honest with her from the very beginning of their relationship. "Nothing happened between us, Amy. We went out one time. In fact, _she_ was the one who asked me out."

"What difference does that make?" Amy cried.

"Shh...Amy, calm down," Adam pleaded. "I swear to you, nothing ever happened between myself and Stephanie McMahon. We went out on one date, to dinner, and then I brought her back home. I didn't even kiss her - other than on the cheek. And that is the truth." He gazed evenly into her eyes, his own never wavering.

Amy felt something break inside of her as she read what she knew was nothing but truth in Adam's face, in those incredible brown eyes that always tenderly made love to her with their intense, piercing gaze. Finally, slightly choked up, eyes beginning to well with tears, she spoke.

"I believe you, Adam. I'm...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I doubted you."

Adam felt himself soften. "Oh, baby, it's okay. Come here..." He held out his arms and Amy fell into them, embracing him tightly. She buried her face into his chest and he stroked her long red hair lovingly. After a moment, he held her back a little and tipped her chin up so that she was gazing up into his eyes. "I would never lie to you, Amy...never. Amy, I love you..."

Amy's tears nearly spilling over, her face broke out into a smile.

"Really?"

Adam kept his eyes glued to hers. "Yes, really. I love you, Amy." She reached up slowly with her right hand and gently fingered his full lower lip, and, his eyes still fastened to hers, Adam took her hand and kissed it.

"I love you, too," Amy whispered.

Adam gave her one of those smiles that had always made her melt, and then he slowly lowered his head and placed his lips on hers. Their kiss was sweet and romantic, yet hot and passionate at the same time.


	7. Chapter 6

**_A/N: A big thank you to Cheryl for her comments/review of the last chapter. :) And to answer your question about a Steph/Edge oneshot (I know you asked me this when you last reviewed _Alone_, but I figured answering you here was as good as there... Earlier today, I just started a brand new fic starring that pairing. This will be a small challenge for me, seeing as I've never technically written it other than a tiny bit in _Delusional: The Beginning _(though I'm updating that one soon enough) and mentions of them being a past couple in _Send Me an Angel_. Anyway, I hope that will turn out to be good. We'll just have to wait and see. ;)_**

_Two weeks later_

Stephanie gazed down at the huge five-carat marquis diamond on her finger and felt a pang of regret. She didn't want to have to do this, but she knew she had no choice.

She was in New York City's _Russian Tea Room_, having dinner with Paul, who, at the moment, was in the men's room.

"Excuse me, madame," said the waiter who'd suddenly appeared. He'd interrupted Steph's mental rehearsal of how she was going to break off the engagement. "Can I bring you some dessert or coffee, perhaps?"

"No, thank you," she replied. "Just the check." She wanted to be able to do this as quickly as possible, when Paul returned.

Just as the waiter placed the check on the table, Paul returned. His smile went all the way up to his sparkling light brown eyes as he slid back into his chair across the table from her.

"Are we all set, babe?" He glanced the bill over and reached for his wallet.

"Actually, no, Paul," Stephanie blurted. As he looked up at her, she plummeted on. "We have to talk..."

"About...?" Paul's expression turned serious as he sensed that he wasn't going to like whatever she was about to say.

Removing the diamond ring from her finger and handing it across the table to him, Stephanie said, "I can't marry you..."

Paul glanced dumbfoundedly at the jewelry that now lay in the palm of his hand. After a moment, he glared up at Stephanie.

"_What_?!" In seconds, his face went from serene to furious.

Steph shook her head. "I can't-"

"You can't marry me?!" Paul shouted, not caring that people were starting to stare at them. "Why the hell _not_?!"

"Paul, calm down," Steph said softly, her eyes darting around the restaurant. She was embarrassed, and the last thing she needed was a scene.

"Why the hell should I calm down?! Why the hell don't you want to marry me?!"

Stephanie swallowed nervously, took a deep breath and said, "Because I'm not in love with you, Paul. I'm in love with someone else. I'm...sorry."

"Oh, so there's someone else? _Who_?! Who is it? It's that goddamned Irvine, isn't it?!" Paul sputtered, nearly choking on the name.

"No! No, it's not Chris...Paul, _please_!"

"Fuck you, Stephanie McMahon!" Paul then rose so fast that he toppled over his chair. Before Steph could even react, he stormed out of the restaurant, leaving her with the bill and feeling mortified. She sat there with her head in her hands, face burning with humiliation and shame. As she reached for her platinum Visa card, the maitre-d came over.

"Is everything all right, ma'am?"

"Yes...yes, it's just fine," she said without looking up. _What kind of moron is he_? she thought. _No, asshole, everything is_ not _all_ _right_!

Once the bill and tip were taken care of, Stephanie put on her jacket and calmly left. She vowed to herself never to step foot into the _Russian Tea Room_ ever again.

--

Chris Irvine lay relaxing on the bed of the Marriott Hotel he was staying in, flipping through cable channels but not finding anything of interest to watch. He shook his head. Why was it that, with so many channels to choose from, there never seemed to be anything decent on TV? He sighed, wishing Stephanie was there with him. He knew that if she were, he wouldn't be bored for even a moment.

He looked up as a loud knock suddenly resounded from the other side of the door to his room.

"Yeah, coming...Just a minute!" He rose from the bed to answer, thinking it was probably Stephanie - finally. A slow smile spread across his face. Before he reached the door, a second, louder knock sounded.

When Chris opened the door, he was jolted by a painful right hook that connected solidly with his nose. Caught by surprise, he staggered backward from the blow, nearly falling over onto the carpet. He felt blood suddenly gushing from his nose.

Paul Levesque stood in the doorway, nearly shaking with the intensity of his fury. Chris nearly cowered at the hatred and anger that emanated from the larger man's body. Paul look mad enough to kill him where he stood.

"You've been fucking Stephanie?! You _want_ her?! You can fucking _have_ her, you worthless bastard!" he growled. Paul's eyes glittered with rage as he pointed an accusatory finger at Chris.

Chris opened his mouth to speak but couldn't say a word. There was nothing he could say to defend himself. He and Stephanie had been found out.

"I should rip your fucking head off right now!" Paul screamed. "But she's not even _worth_ it!" He glared at the smaller man for a moment longer, then turned and stormed away.

Chris stood there, as if transfixed, nearly in shock over what had just occurred. Then, getting his bearings, he rushed to close the door, then ran into the bathroom to tend to his bloody nose. He hoped it was not broken.

--

Adam moaned as Amy took his hard-on lovingly into her mouth, running her tongue gently around the head.

"Oh God, Amy...that feels so...mmm..." He closed his eyes slowly, a smile crossing his lips. He reached down and gently caressed her long red tresses. As Adam began to raise his hips and groan deep in his throat, Amy suddenly stopped, her ears perking up as she appeared to be listening carefully to something.

Adam rose his head from the pillows and glanced at her.

"Don't stop, baby." When he realized she was listening for something, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"I thought I heard something, Adam...like someone yelling in the hallway."

Adam sat up slightly and reached over to her, gently pulling her to him. "It's okay," he said. "Whatever it is, it has nothing to do with us."

"I want to see what's going on," Amy said, pulling gently out of his embrace. She put on the delicate red satin robe she'd discarded on the floor beside the bed.

"Now?" Adam whined. "What about _this_?" Amy's eyes followed his down to his throbbing erection.

Amy laughed softly. "We'll take care of him a little later. Promise." She leaned over to kiss him quickly on the lips, then straightened up.

Adam held onto her wrist, refusing to let her leave. "Oh, come on, Ames..." His green eyes looked slightly glazed over in his state of extreme arousal. His upper lip curled into a small half smile.

"Aww, poor baby," Amy teased, laughing. "I'll be back in a sec. I just have to know what's going on." She pulled out of his loose grasp and headed for the door as Adam threw the blankets on himself.

Amy gazed around the hallway but at first didn't see anything too conspicuous. Then, glancing to her right, she suddenly spotted a burly form nearly all the way at the other end of the floor. It looked to her to be Paul Levesque, who seemed to nearly stomp his way out of sight and evidently pounded down the stairwell. She stood rooted to her spot for a moment before rushing down the hallway toward the other end.

"What happened?" she asked Stacy Keibler and Andrew Martin, who were standing just in the doorway of the room they were sharing. They both looked confused, as they had come over following the commotion that had come from the room directly across from theirs.

"There was a fight," Stacy said, concern showing clearly on her face. "We heard someone pounding on the door, and then-"

"Paul was suddenly yelling and screaming," Andrew finished for her. "Jericho's in there, and he's not rooming with anyone, so he must have been real pissed off at him for some reason."

"Did you guys go to check on him?" Amy asked. "No, but there hasn't been a peep in that room since Paul ran off."

"Well, maybe someone _should_," she said.

"You're right, Amy," Stacy concurred. "We should at least see if he's okay," she said, glancing at Andrew meaningfully. They had both heard exactly what Levesque had shouted at Chris but didn't want to spread it around out of respect for both men.

The three of them tentatively approached the door. Amy knocked softly, but there was no answer. The only sound she could detect from within was a soft laugh track from the television set. She pressed her ear against the door to listen more closely for any other sound.

The sensation of someone suddenly brushing against her left side made Amy turn around sharply. As she looked up, she saw that Adam had suddenly appeared by her side. He was clad in his black terry cloth bathrobe.

"So, what's going on?" he asked, putting an arm around her waist.

"We're not sure," she said. "Stacy and Drew said that they heard Paul banging on the door to Chris' room here and then afterward starting yelling at him."

"What about?" Adam questioned, his Canadian accent clearly evident with the way he spoke that second word.

"We don't know," Stacy quickly answered, glancing almost nervously from Adam to Amy, then to Andrew.

Amy turned her attention back to the door.

"Chris? Can you hear me? Are you all right?"

There was no reply.

"Chris, please answer me. We just want to make sure you're all right."

When he still didn't respond, Andrew spoke up. "I'm sure he's okay, Amy. Let's all just let him be." He reached for Stacy's hand and steered her back to their room.

"Okay, I guess you're right," she said reluctantly. She couldn't help but feel that something was very wrong. What if Chris was hurt? Then again, he was a big boy and could take care of himself. And if he _was_ hurt, he would seek attention for it. "All right...goodnight, Stace, Drew."

"Goodnight," they both replied in unison.

Adam waved at them before turning back to Amy. He gazed down into her worried hazel eyes and said, "I'm sure he's all right, hon. You know Chris...he probably made some kind of wisecrack that pissed off Paul earlier tonight. Paul probably just told him off for making him look stupid in front of all his friends." He smirked and shrugged. "Now, come on, I'm gonna hold you to that promise you made to me a few minutes ago..." He playfully swept her up into his arms, nuzzling her neck, and as Amy laughed, he ran back to their room.

--

Stephanie finally stepped into the Marriott Hotel after spending a couple of hours riding her limo around the City. She didn't want to have to go to her and Paul's room tonight to pick up her things, knowing full well that Paul probably wouldn't allow her in, anyway. Instead, she stealthily made her way to Chris' room. Stephanie had an extra key, so she let herself in. The TV was on softly.

"Chris?" she called tentatively. She felt like she should be crying, but she hadn't shed a single tear. She heard a muttered, unintelligible sound coming from the bathroom. "Chris?" She shut the door behind her and turned into the doorway of the bathroom. "Oh, my God!" Stephanie rushed over to Chris, who was leaning over the sink, his nose bloody and still bleeding freely. "Oh, God! Paul did this to you, didn't he?" Her blue eyes filled with alarm. She placed an arm around him.

Chris held a wad of toilet paper against his nose and glanced at her.

"Yeah, he did. Steph, he found out about us."

Stephanie winced. "I know," she replied, feeling horribly guilty. "Hold on...let me get you an icepack." She grabbed a hand towel from on top of the toilet and quickly went out to the small fridge in the other room. She retrieved ice from the freezer compartment and wrapped it up in the white towel, then rushed back to Chris. "Here," she said, "let me hold this against your forehead. I've heard that if you put ice over there and pinch the bridge of your nose, that will stop a nosebleed."

Chris obeyed her while she pressed the icepack against his head. In a few minutes, the nosebleed all but stopped. Chris and Stephanie left the bathroom, leaving the icepack in the sink. Chris thanked her as he gingerly touched his nose.

"Doesn't seem to be broken," he said.

"I'm so sorry about this, Chris," she said. "It's all _my_ fault that Paul hit you."

"What exactly happened?"

Stephanie sighed and ran a hand through her long dark hair.

"Well," she began, "basically, I broke off the engagement to Paul. I...I just can't marry him." She had no intention of telling him the actual reason why she'd rejected Paul. Let him think whatever he would think.

Chris stared at her silently for a moment as they sat on the bed side-by-side. His crystal-blue eyes seemed to sparkle as his face suddenly broke into a small smile. He surprised Stephanie by suddenly tackling her on the bed. He squeezed her breasts almost painfully, kissing her. Chris' tongue darted deep into her mouth, seeking her own.

Stephanie pulled away slightly, gazing up at him.

"You're not...mad? It was _my_ fault Paul attacked you..." She felt momentarily confused.

"If it means I get to have you all to myself, then it was _worth_ it," he replied in a soft voice. He leaned down to kiss her full on the lips again, and she kissed him back, but thoughts of Adam ran through her mind. _Adam, oh, Adam_, she thought.


	8. Chapter 7

The months since Stephanie McMahon had attacked Amy on RAW passed uneventfully. Amy seemed to still think nothing much of the ambush while it still nibbled at Adam's conscience, though he tried to forget it. For a while after it had happened, Adam had wanted to confront Stephanie and possibly make a complaint to her father, but Amy had talked him out of it.

Neither of them had ever mentioned a word about Adam's "past" with the youngest McMahon. Adam didn't think it important enough to mention, considering it had only been one date. He also knew that, deep down, although she seemed to be fine with it, Amy still felt hurt that he'd never told her.

Although there hadn't been an escalation of the night Stephanie had attacked her, Amy still often mentally replayed her conversation that afternoon with Trish Stratus.

"_She has this weird obsession with Adam_..." "_-according to Stephanie, they dated at one time_..." "_She completely resents you and accused you of 'stealing her man_'." "_Amy, I'd watch my back if I were you - Stephanie McMahon is a woman with a lot of power - she can break you_..."

Because of all the rumors flying around, Amy now felt confused about everything her friend had told her. Everyone knew what had happened that last time the WWF had been in New York City - in a shocking turn of events, Stephanie had broken off her engagement to Paul Levesque. It was said that she'd done this because she was really in love with Chris Irvine and had been seeing him on the side for almost a year. Word of Paul punching Chris out in his hotel room in that Marriott Hotel had spread like wildfire. Stacy Keibler and Andrew Martin, who had stayed in the room directly across from Chris', had heard every word shouted by Paul when he'd confronted Irvine. About a month later, Chris and Stephanie were no longer hiding their relationship. They informally "announced" it by going out and being seen together, sharing public displays of affection like holding hands and kissing.

Amy had been very surprised upon learning of Chris' relationship with Stephanie. She'd thought that Paul and Steph would definitely stay together, especially after Paul had fallen in love with her while he'd still been with his longtime former girlfriend, Joanie Laurer. Adam, however, wasn't surprised at all, at least not at Stephanie. He knew what kind of girl she was. As for Chris, he'd known intuitively that, when he had suddenly isolated himself from their group of friends, it must have had something to do with a woman. Since Chris had never shared any information, Adam had known it had to be big. He wasn't quite sure what to think of Chris and Stephanie as a couple. He supposed he was happy for Chris, even though he didn't like or trust Stephanie McMahon, but they seemed to enjoy being together. In any case, Adam was glad, even relieved, that the past several months had been uneventful where he and Amy were concerned.

Adam gazed down into Amy's eyes and smiled. They were in a small nightclub in Miami, the latest WWF stopover. They were on the dance floor and were bumping and grinding away like crazy to Disturb's "Stupify." Nearby, Jeff Hardy and Trish were dancing as well.

Adam's green eyes gleamed with love as he gazed upon Amy, who was laughing as she watched Jeff's crazy, gyrating antics. "Hey, come here!" he said over the loudness of the music. He pulled her to him and twirled her around. Laughing, she looked up into his eyes as her back was pulled against Adam's front.

As the song faded away, Metallica's classic ballad "Nothing Else Matters" suddenly blared. Some people left the dance floor to rest or drink or get a snack, but Adam and Amy remained. Adam held her close, his hands on her waist, and they continued to dance.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" he asked gazing her up and down appreciatively, a small grin playing on his full lips. How great she looked in the low-cut black sleeveless mini-dress she was wearing, her red hair piled atop her head in a high ponytail.

"Not in the last five minutes, no," she replied with a soft chuckle. Her hazel eyes twinkled.

"Well, then let me," Adam said with merriment. "You are so beautiful, Amy...you look gorgeous tonight."

"You don't look so bad yourself," she said, smiling. He was wearing a short-sleeved black shirt with the two top buttons undone and khakhis, his long, curly blond hair soft and shiny. Amy thought he looked good enough to eat.

Adam continued to gazed deeply into her eyes a moment longer, then dipped his head to kiss her. Amy kissed him back, her lips instantly parting to allow his warm, moist tongue entrance. Adam slid his hands slightly, to her lower back, stopping when Amy wished he'd let them travel lower still. So _what_ if they were in a public place? She couldn't wait to get back to their hotel room.

--

Stephanie and Chris stood just outside the club, which Steph noted was called _Paradise_. She really wasn't in the mood for a lot of noise and smoke, but Chris had wanted to come.

"Just a little while, babe," he said. "We'll hang out for a little while, dance, have some drinks, and then we'll go back to the hotel, okay?" He twined his fingers into her long brown hair, then let them gently caress her cheek.

"Okay," Stephanie said reluctantly. In her mind, the sooner this was over, the better. She knew that many of the wrestlers would be there. She preferred to keep more of a low profile these days. She knew they were all talking about her - about her personal life. Those she had considered friends had since become distant and curt with her. She knew every one of them was gossiping about her when she wasn't around - even though they all smiled to her face when she was. The thought infuriated her.

As Stephanie entered the club, Chris beside her, her hand in his, she immediately regretted allowing Chris to talk her into coming. A cloud of smoke from someone's cigarette circled her head, and she coughed and fanned the area with her free hand. She could hardly see anything because of the combination of the smoke and the multiple bodies crowded before them.

Chris led her through a cleared path which gave them a direct view of the dance floor - and Stephanie suddenly wished she were still behind the mob near the door. Her stomach feeling as if the bottom had dropped out of it, Stephanie let out an inaudible gasp of grave disappointment and despair.

In the center of the floor, dancing romantically close and kissing passionately, as if they were the only two people in the room, were Adam Copeland and Amy Dumas. Steph noted how dangerously close Adam's hands were to touching Amy's buttocks. As he kissed her, it was evident that he was truly in love with her. This made Stephanie feel even worse. She wished Adam were kissing _her_ like that.

They seemed to be the center of attention as they stopped kissing but continued to dance. A bunch of the wrestlers, mostly those who were the closest friends of the couple, cheered and clapped. Adam and Amy appeared to be startled, even slightly embarrassed, but Stephanie heard Amy's throaty laugh when Jay Reso came up to them, patted Adam on the back and said something that must have been funny.

Stephanie was still focused on Adam and Amy, eyes unblinking, when Chris suddenly spoke to her.

"Steph? Do you want something to drink?"

"Huh?" She finally blinked, coming back to reality. She glanced at him, and his clear blue eyes were focused on her face. "Oh...no thanks."

Chris led her to a small, deserted table against the wall. As she sat down, she realized she still had a clear view of the dance floor - and of Adam and Amy, who were still slow-dancing very closely. Stephanie's eyes trailed low, and she saw how tightly Adam seemed to be pressed against Amy. She was sure he must be hard right now. Lips parted, eyes unblinking, she wished one or both of them would part so she could be sure of Adam's condition. Then again, she didn't _want_ to know.

She suddenly became aware that Chris was walking away. He'd actually spoken a moment before, but she hadn't been aware of it or of what he'd said. Now, she rose quickly and caught up to him.

"Chris, wait!"

Chris realized that Stephanie was gripping his wrist. He turned and saw an oddly pleading expression in her blue eyes. Her face appeared slightly flushed. "I think I'll have a drink after all..."

"Okay," he said. "What should I get you?"

"Whatever you're having," Stephanie replied. In her mind, it didn't matter as long as it was a good, strong drink that would numb her for the rest of the evening. She really regretted being in this club. Having to see the man she loved being so lovey dovey with Amy Dumas was sheer torture for her. She hoped that Chris was getting a drink that would be strong enough to render her unconscious by the night's end.

"Sure thing, Steph," Chris said as those thoughts whirled through Stephanie's brain. He suddenly pulled her against him with one arm around her waist and kissed her quickly but firmly on the lips. "I'll be right back."

Stephanie returned to the table and sat down, facing forward in an attempt to block out the view of dance floor. In her peripheral vision, she could still see Adam and Amy dancing. She tried desperately to instead focus on Chris, who was over by the bar and slipping money on the counter to the bartender.

As Steph continued watching him, she squinted slightly. With her eyes reduced to mere slits, she could almost believe that Chris was Adam. Their hair was quite similar, they both had big beautiful eyes, even though they weren't the same color. And, although Adam had five inches of height over Chris, it wasn't bad - she could almost believe that Chris Irvine was Adam Copeland...

"What's wrong? Do you have a headache?" Chris' concerned voice questioned her, as he had returned. Damn, his voice just ruined it, Stephanie thought, then realized her eyes were still squinted. She opened them.

"No...no, I don't," she said lamely. Then, a decent and believable explanation came to her. "All the smoke in here made my eyes itchy."

"Oh...good, I'm glad it's not a headache," Chris said with a laugh as he sat down and set a glass before her. "Because then you don't have that to use as an excuse later..."

Normally, Stephanie would have grinned at such a remark, but at the moment, she couldn't - not after seeing the two lovebirds.

"What kind of drink did you get?" she asked over the din.

"I got us both Long Island ice teas. You said to get you whatever I was having."

"That's fine...thanks."

She raised the glass to her lips, not knowing what to expect, as she'd never had a Long Island ice tea before. Upon taking the first sip, Stephanie sputtered and nearly choked, the hard liquor burning its way down her throat. Usually a wine drinker, she wasn't used to such hard liquor.

"Are you okay?" Chris asked. He looked concerned enough to burst out of his chair in a flash to perform C.P.R. on her.

Stephanie put one hand out toward him, palm out, and nodded.

"Yeah," she managed. "God, that's pretty strong stuff."

"You'll get used to it."

Like a moth is attracted to a flame, Stephanie was drawn to the couple on whom she'd spied. She turned her head back toward the dance floor but was surprised to see that Adam and Amy were no longer there. Almost frantically, her eyes began to search the area until she spotted them standing by the bar.

She wished she hadn't. Adam was standing casually, leaning against the edge of the bar, eyes glued to Amy's, an enamored expression on his face. He was speaking to her, and whatever he'd said caused Amy to laugh. Adam's free hand went to her bare arm, his fingers running tantalizingly up her milky flesh.

Amy suddenly rose up on her tiptoes and whispered something into Adam's ear. Adam's arm went directly around her waist. Amy then lowered back onto her heels. Adam's face broke out into a huge grin, and Stephanie could only imagine what Amy must have said to him.

Steph suddenly became aware of Chris' hands gripping one of her own. Her attention on the couple diverted, she turned her head and faced him. He was gazing at her longingly.

"Drink up," he said with a smile.

Stephanie quickly turned back to where Adam and Amy were, only to find them now passionately kissing. She seethed inside as she watched Amy's hands slide down to Adam's tight, firm, perfect ass.


	9. Chapter 8

Adam grinned at Amy and placed one hand on her cheek. They were taking a breather by the bar, though neither of them was drinking. He wanted to get out of there and knew that Amy did as well. She'd just whispered into his ear that she wanted to go back to the hotel and have him all to herself. She promised him a night he'd never forget, though every night with her was unforgettable.

Adam was thinking about what to get Amy for their eight-month anniversary. He wanted to get her the perfect gift. He gazed at her and his heart pounded. He leaned closer to her and said, "Come on, let's get out of here." His grin widened even more.

Amy smiled at him seductively, softly biting her lower lip. She just wanted to get him back to their hotel room and have her way with him. She put her hand in Adam's and followed him to the table across the club where Jay, Trish, Matt, Jeff, Andrew and Stacy were sitting.

"Hey, you guys," Adam said. "See you later...we're gonna split."

"So early?" Jay asked, checking his watch as he held a drink in his right hand. "It's only eleven-thirty. We're off tomorrow, too."

Trish, who was sitting beside him, nudged him in the ribs with her elbow.

"Sorry, Jay...but Amy and I are out of here," Adam said with a laugh. "We're tired." He exchanged glances with Amy, who looked up at him and smiled.

"Sure...sure."

There were knowing smiles all around the table. After everyone said goodnight, the pair left. Amy was surprised there was no one around, as it was still quite early, but the street appeared to be deserted. She was anxious to get to their rental car and just get right back to the hotel, but Adam stopped just outside of the club. Amy gazed up at him inquisitively.

"What?"

Adam instantly pulled her to him, hands practically engulfing her narrow waist, and kissed her hard and passionately, his tongue spiraling around hers. As she responded, kissing him back, he slid his hands up over the sides of her body. His fingertips brushing briefly over the sides of her full breasts made Amy's breath catch in her throat. Adam slid his hands up further to gently cradle her head. He let his fingers slip into the soft hair that was pulled up and back in the ponytail she wore. Adam softly groaned into Amy's mouth while he pressed his body tightly against hers. He was already rock hard. He slid his hands down to her buttocks, cupping them before he finally pulled back.

"I love you," he said, his eyes locked on Amy's.

She smiled and gently bit her lip. "I love you, too."

They stared at each other for a moment. "Now let's go. I want to get back to the hotel as soon as possible."

"So do I," Adam replied, grinning. "You know how badly, too..."

--

Five minutes later, Stephanie looked up from her drink and glanced around the club, realizing that Adam and Amy were gone. Although her heart sank, she was also relieved. As much as she loved looking at Adam, she hated seeing him with Amy, especially when they looked so much in love. Nonetheless, Steph wanted to finish up her drink and get out of there. She felt there was no reason for her to be in this club in the first place. As she turned back to Chris, she noted that he was already finished with his Long Island ice tea. She threw her head back and quickly tossed down her own as if it were a vodka shot.

"Easy there, babe...you don't want to overdo it," Chris said.

It was too late, as she was already finished. The alcohol was swiftly getting to Stephanie, and she felt the remainder of it burning its way down her gullet. She giggled as she gazed at Chris. Yes, with her eyes slightly squinted, and with his long, curly blond hair and blue eyes, she could almost believe he was Adam. She clumsily got up off her chair and went close to him, tugging on his arm.

"Come on," she said, "dance with me, Chris!"

Chris looked her up and down, a slight smirk on his face, and stood up. He took her hand and allowed her to lead him to the dance floor.

Stephanie gazed at him with a big grin on her face as she started dancing quickly to the fast music that was playing. Although she felt slightly dizzy, she managed to keep steady and not fall over. Before she knew what was happening, Chris' hands were on her waist and he pulled her tautly against him. They moved rapidly, chests pressed together and groins achingly close, until they were mock dirty dancing. They stayed that way for a few minutes before Chris took her hand and whipped her out at arm's length, then Steph ran back to him and leapt into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist. Since she was wearing a short mini-skirt, her butt was nearly exposed when she did this. Chris expected Stephanie to come to her senses and jump back to her feet a second later, but she didn't. Instead, she clung to him, and he realized her breathing had quickened. Was it just the fast dancing, or was it something else?

As if reading his mind, Stephanie then told him. "I want you, Chris," she said softly. "Take me out of here and just _take_ me."

His eyes fastened onto hers, Chris smiled and felt himself getting hard as she continued to press her groin against his. He wrapped his arms around her waist and reluctantly set her back down on her feet. She laughed as he pulled her by the hand toward the door to leave.

As Chris drove them back to the hotel, Stephanie kept her head turned toward the passenger's side window. Her head was nearly spinning and her thoughts were back on Adam and Amy. She wondered what they were doing but then realized she already knew. She closed her eyes and imagined Adam all over her. Instead of Chris bending her naked body over the bed, she saw Adam...

--

Adam and Amy were just at the door to their hotel room, both breathless with anticipation. Adam used his key to open the door, and when they entered, he quickly shut it, and then he was all over Amy. Backing her up against the door, he placed both hands against it on either side of her head and kissed her hard. As she kissed him back, her hands gently playing with his long, soft blond hair, he pressed against her, not allowing even a centimeter to come between their bodies. He moved his lips down to the left side of her neck and she moaned. Amy held him tightly, savoring the feel of his lips, teeth, tongue and hot breath against her skin.

"Oh, God..."

She moved her hands down, underneath his shirt and ran them over his hard pecs and abs. Adam grabbed her right hand and moved it lower, to something even harder. Amy eagerly pulled down the zipper of his khakhis and fondled him. Adam lifted his head from hers, his breathing heavy, and gazed down into her eyes. She kept her eyes locked on his and unbuttoned his pants. Adam leaned down to kiss her lips again, and while she kissed him back, he reached down and yanked her panties down from her hips. Amy moved slightly, allowing them to fall to her ankles, and Adam placed one hand between her legs and rubbed her. She was very wet.

Amy closed her eyes and clung to him. She was so aroused that her need to have Adam inside of her was almost painful. She began pulling his khakhis down, and as he stepped out of them, she pulled at his briefs as well.

"Adam," she moaned. "Need you..."

Adam moved his now moist right hand up with his left under her dress to unhook her bra, then he lifted her dress up over her head, tossing it aside. Amy quickly undid the buttons on his shirt, and he removed it and tossed it with the rest of their garments. Afterward, he lifted her up in his arms, and, her legs wrapping around his waist, he again backed her up against the door, slamming his full length into her.

"Oh, God...Amy..." Adam moaned, closing his eyes. He was afraid he would come too quickly, as he already felt like he was in heaven as he impaled her against the door. In this position, she was so tight.

"Adam, Adam! Keep doing that," she moaned. She threw her head back slightly, brushing it against the door. "Oh, God! Go faster..."

Adam complied with her wishes and thrust faster and harder, causing Amy's head to bang against the door. He felt rotten about that, not wanting to hurt her in any way and slowed down so it wouldn't happen again.

"Oh, baby, I'm sorry..."

Amy either didn't seem to mind, or her head banging against the door didn't hurt.

"Don't slow down, honey," she said breathlessly. "Please, Adam," she nearly pleaded. Adam thrust fast and hard again, but he tried to brace her enough so that her head wouldn't hit the door. He wanted to give her only pleasure, no pain of any kind. He succeeded, as a few short minutes later, Amy was nearly overcome by the intensity of her orgasm.

"Oh, God...Adam, I love you!" she cried between gasps. Adam soon followed her, and he pressed her back tightly up against the door as he came, emptying himself into her.

"Amy..._Amy_!" He had trouble catching his breath as he panted heavily with the intensity of his pleasure. "Oh, God..."

Afterward, he gently set her back on her feet, running his fingers through her red hair, which she'd set loose from its ponytail before they'd gotten back to the hotel. He lowered his face down to hers and touched her nose with his, then kissed her tenderly on the lips. They were both still breathing heavily.

"I love you...My God...that was _so_ amazing," Adam said. He kissed the tip of Amy's nose, then her forehead.

"That it was," Amy said softly with a laugh. "In fact, it may have been the _best_."

Adam's green eyes sparkled as his face was lit up with a huge white grin.

"Oh, really? Well, I bet I can top even _that_..." He scooped her up into his arms and kissed her as he carried her to the bed.

--

Chris led Stephanie out of the rental car and into the hotel. She appeared a bit wobbly with her drunkenness, so Chris supported her with an arm around her waist. As they made their way out of the elevator on the fourth floor, Chris began to steer her toward their room, but Steph hesitated.

"What's the matter?"

"N-nothing," she said. "I just want to make a quick stop to the soda machine."

"Here, let _me_..." Chris began, but Stephanie cut him off.

"No, Chris - you just go back to our room and make yourself comfortable. I'll get my soda and be back before you know it." She smiled and kissed him firmly on the lips, allowing her tongue to circle his lips before exploring the warm moistness of his mouth. Chris kissed her back, then pulled away and smiled at her.

"Okay...see you in a few." He patted her on the backside before heading to their room.

Stephanie walked down the hall to the vending machine and dug into her purse for some change. She came up with three quarters and selected a Schwepp's Ginger Ale, then started walking back. She suddenly came to room 418 and stopped in front of the door, staring at it as if she could see beyond to the inside of the room. This was the one Adam and Amy were sharing. Her eyes dropped to the floor in her sorrow, then when she was about to walk away, she suddenly heard sounds coming from within. A sound very similar to a knock, but she realized that it wasn't a hand that had hit the door, as she suddenly heard Adam's voice.

"_Oh, baby...I'm sorry_..." And then she heard Amy's voice, and she felt faint.

"_Don't slow down, honey...Please, Adam_..."

Stephanie parted her lips, eyes widening, and moved closer to the door. She dared to actually press her ear against it, then was shocked as she realized that Adam and Amy were making love up against the opposite side of the door! She could detect their movements and could hear all the sounds of ecstasy they were making.

Stephanie backed away from the door in horror and felt her eyes welling up full of scalding hot tears. She held a hand up to her mouth as she tried to stifle a cry. She stumbled away from room 418 and toward her own, but before she made it there, she sank down to the carpet and wept bitterly. She stayed there for a good full ten minutes.

Chris, who had been wondering what was taking Steph so long to return from the soda machine, opened the door to their room to look for her. He immediately saw her, as she was lying sprawled, face-down, on the floor, a few doors from their room. At first, he thought she must have passed out, in a drunken stupor, but when he approached her, he realized she was softly crying.

Chris sank down to his knees, placing one hand on Stephanie's left shoulder, and the other on her long hair.

"What's wrong, Steph? What's wrong? Tell me..."

Stephanie looked up and met Chris' concerned eyes, a strangled sob escaping her lips. Her tear-stained face felt hot and flushed. She couldn't speak.

"Oh, Steph...what's the matter?" Chris placed one hand under her chin. When she didn't reply, he helped her to stand up. He walked her to their room as she continued to cry. When they were in the room, Chris shut the door and led Stephanie to the bed. She curled up in a fetal position on her right side, her back to him. He climbed in after her and spooned against her, his arm around her. He gently caressed a lock of her dark hair while he questioned her again as to what was wrong. She wouldn't answer him.

After a few minutes, her crying seemed to have eased a bit, and Chris stroked her hair away from her sweaty forehead. "I _knew_ you were going to overdo it with that drink," he said softly.

Stephanie blinked as she realized that Chris thought the reason she was crying was because she had drank too much. _Good_, she thought, _let him think that_. She didn't ever want him to know the truth, knowing it would both crush and infuriate him. He would hate her if he knew that she'd been secretly in love with Adam for the past three years.

She turned over onto her back to face Chris. He was leaning over her, gazing at her lovingly, his expression placid while his light blue eyes seemed to shimmer with strange lights. She put her arms around his neck and held him down tightly against her, feeling the tears coming again. She tried to choke them back.

Before she knew what was happening, Chris was kissing the cleavage that her bright pink halter top exposed. Stephanie caught her breath in her throat and kissed him back when he moved his lips to hers. They quickly undressed each other, and Chris kissed her right nipple as he entered her. She gasped and clung to him, her tears threatening to break loose again.

Stephanie kept her eyes squinted, and when she looked at Chris, she envisioned Adam underneath her.

"I...love...you..." she moaned softly, and, though she meant those three words for Adam, it was Chris who heard them and responded to them.

"I love you, too, Stephanie McMahon..."

--

Early in the morning, Stephanie woke up, the sheets on the bed tangled between her legs and feet. She reluctantly opened her eyes and wished she hadn't.

"Oh, God," she moaned softly. Her head felt as if it were being split open by a sledgehammer. She glanced down at herself and realized she was completely naked. On the other side of the bed, Chris lay naked as well. He appeared to be sound asleep.

"Oh, no!" she exclaimed as a sudden, sickening feeling came over her. She tried in vain to rise from the bed and run to the bathroom, but her legs and feet were still tangled in the sheet, and she tumbled in a heap to the floor. The sound of Stephanie's body hitting the floor was like a thud, and it woke Chris. He opened his eyes in time to see her running, naked, to the bathroom.

"Steph? You okay, babe?" She didn't respond. Chris rose from the bed and strode after her. He made it just in time to see her bent over the toilet, purging herself of the previous night's "delights." Chris stood beside her and laid a hand on her back, patting it gently. "Aw, poor baby. You'll feel better soon...I promise."

Stephanie felt awful. She'd never had a hangover before in her life. All she wanted to do was crawl back into the bed and wait for death. Good thing they weren't scheduled to work or travel anywhere today.


	10. Chapter 9

Amy stirred restlessly. She turned over onto her stomach and threw her arm over the other side of the bed. When her hand touched only the sheet and blanket and didn't make contact with Adam's warm flesh, she lifted her head and opened her eyes.

Adam wasn't there.

Figuring he must be in the bathroom, Amy called out to him.

"Adam?"

When there was no answer, she rose from the bed, keeping the sheet wrapped around her, as the room was chilly from the air conditioning. She walked to the bathroom but found it empty. Amy wondered where Adam could be as she walked back to the bed. She caught a glimpse of the time on the tiny portable clock they'd left on the nightstand. She was surprised to note it was only a few minutes till noon. As she got back into bed, she suddenly noticed the note laying on Adam's pillow. She picked it up, smiling as she read her boyfriend's sweet words.

_Amy, _

_Just went out for awhile with Jay. Something important came up. I'll bring us back some brunch. See you later. I love you,_

_Adam_

Amy held the note tightly and brushed the paper up against her chin. She felt like the luckiest girl in the world to have Adam Copeland. He was the sweetest guy she'd ever known.

A moment later, she put the note down and gathered up some clothing for the day. She wanted to be showered, shampooed and dressed for Adam when he returned.

"Amy?"

Fifteen minutes later, Adam stepped into their hotel room and saw that the bed was empty and unmade. She was awake, but was she there? He got his answer when the door to the bathroom suddenly opened and she stepped out.

"Good morning," she said to him with a small smile. He met her eyes and grinned widely.

"You mean good _afternoon_."

Amy noticed that Adam had one hand behind his back.

"What's that?" she asked, gesturing. "Whatcha got there?"

"Oh, this?" He glanced at his left hand, the one that was not behind his back but at his side. "I got us some brunch - toast and eggs and sausage." He put the white paper bag down on the nightstand.

"No...I meant _that_," Amy laughed, pointing to his other side. "What's behind your back?"

Adam feigned innocence. "Oh, you mean _this_?" He brought his right arm forward and handed her a bouquet of pink sweetheart roses. "They're for you."

"Aww, Adam...how sweet! Thank you," Amy said as she took the flowers. She smelled one of them. "Mmm...you weren't really out with Jay after all, were you?" She stepped closer and hugged him. Adam hugged her back.

"Actually, I was...he got Trish some roses as well...and he helped me with something..." He reached into the pocket of his black jeans and pulled out a small gold box.

Amy looked at the box and then up into his eyes in surprise. "What's that?"

Adam handed it to her and said, "Open it...I know it's only our eight-month anniversary and not our one-year anniversary, but I wanted to get you this..."

Amy put down the bouquet and focused on the box. As she opened it, her breath caught in her throat. "Oh, Adam..."

"...Amy, these past eight months with you have been magical. This is just my way of saying I love you, and I love being with you."

Amy held up a delicate gold chain, at the end of which a small gold locket in the shape of a heart dangled. She fingered the jewelry carefully, marvelling at the beautiful engravings on it.

"Adam..." She felt her eyes tearing up and thought she would start bawling at any moment. "Thank you."

"Open it," Adam said, a twinkle in his clear green eyes. He moved to her side and took the chain from her. Opening the locket, he held it up so that she could see the tiny photograph inside. It was a picture of the two of them. "And look at this," he said, turning the locket over. Aside from the designs that were engraved on the front, the back read "_Adam Loves Amy_" in a fancy script lettering.

Amy was completely taken aback. She was suddenly at a loss for words as her eyes filled up some more. Adam undid the tiny clasp on the chain and stood behind her.

"Let's put this on you," he said softly. She held her hair up from the back of her neck and felt his warm breath lingering on her nape for a moment. "There," Adam said. He moved so that he was standing in front of her again. He gazed at her, his eyes moving from the necklace to her eyes, and smiled. "It's perfect."

Amy's tears spilled finally over her cheeks as she gently touched the locket with her right hand. She was so surprised, and her heart was bursting with love for this precious man.

"Adam...I love you," she cried, allowing herself to fall into his strong arms. She hugged him tightly and never wanted to let go. Adam held her tightly and rubbed his cheek against her damp red hair. He inhaled deeply and savored the smell of her honeysuckle shampoo.

"I love you, too, Ames." He held her slightly back for a moment and gazed at her, gently brushing away her tears with his fingers, then lowered his head to her lips and kissed her.

_Three weeks later, Atlanta, Georgia_

Adam was in the locker room following his RAW match against Rob Van Dam, swathed in a towel, as he had just finished showering. He was searching through his duffel bag for a particular shirt but couldn't find it.

"Don't tell me I lost it," he muttered. "Hey, Jay!" he called, looking over his shoulder. Jay, who had gone into the shower after he got out, called back.

"What?!"

"Did you see my black shirt?!"

"Can you be more specific?! You have a lot of black shirts!" Jay shouted back to his best friend.

Adam stepped closer to the door. "You know, the one I was wearing at that club in Miami a few weeks ago!" he called back.

"Huh? Oh...no, I haven't seen it! Sorry, dude!"

"Damn!" Adam said. "That's one of my favorite shirts, and it's missing!" He resignedly selected a black pullover instead and started getting dressed. A moment later, he heard a knock on the door. Adam went over to the door and opened it, hiding behind it because he was only partially dressed. He peeked his head out and saw it was only Amy. She smiled at him.

"You ready yet?"

"No, I'm still getting dressed."

"Mmm...sounds good to me," she said with a chuckle, stepping into the room. Adam shut the door behind her, and she dropped her bag to the floor and put her arms around him. "You look so inviting," she said, reaching down to fondle his buttocks.

"Not now, baby," Adam said reluctantly as he ran his hands up and down her back. "Jay is here..."

"He is? I don't see him," she murmured.

"He's in the shower right now. And come to think of it, you'd better get out of here, because he probably won't be decent when he gets out. I'll meet you right outside." He picked up her bag, handed it to her and steered her to the door.

"Aw, Adam..." Amy's face became a mask of a pout.

"I'll be right out - I promise," Adam said with a grin, kissing her quickly on the lips.

Amy checked her watch. It was still early, only ten after nine, as Adam's match had taken place a little after eight-thirty. She herself hadn't had a match in a few weeks and she was actually glad. She hadn't been feeling well lately.

She set her tote bag down in front of the locker room in which Adam and Jay were esconced and stepped over to the buffet area, which was only a few feet away. There was fruit set out on one table, beverages on another, and, of all things, donuts from _Dunkin' Donuts_, set on another. She headed straight for that table, grabbing a Boston Creme donut, and, as she took a bite out of it, she realized she needed a drink to go along with it. Grabbing a paper plate to set her treat down on, she poured herself a cup of skim milk. Afterward, she sat down in the corner of the room to enjoy her donut. As she began chatting with Andrew Martin, who had just stepped into the room, she didn't notice Stephanie McMahon walking throught the hallway, toward Adam's locker room.

--

Stephanie slipped past the buffet area unnoticed by its only two inhabitants and stopped just outside of the locker room she knew Adam was using for the night. She glanced down and saw a tote bag, which she recognized as Amy's. Glancing around, making sure no one was in sight, she dug into the bag. She tried to make as little sound as possible and prayed that the locker room door wouldn't suddenly open. Stephanie's hand closed on something that felt like a credit card. She pulled it out and discovered that it was in fact a hotel room key. She glanced at it for a second before sneaking it into a pocket of her black slacks, then, a smile crossing her face, she straightened up and snuck away.

--

Adam stepped through the door to his locker room, expecting to see Amy standing there, and nearly tripped. He glanced down and saw her bag lying directly in the doorway. He reached down to pick it up, then went out into the hall.

"Amy? Amy!"

"I'm in here, Adam," she called. He realized her voice was coming from the room in which the buffet had been set out.

"What are you doing?" he asked when he saw her munching on a donut in the corner. "I thought we were going out to dinner...Hey, Drew," he said, smiling and nodding at Andrew, who was standing by the fruit table.

"We are," Amy said, licking the chocolate off her fingers one-by-one. "I just had a little craving that I couldn't fight. Don't worry - one little donut won't spoil my appetite." She stood up and came over to him, then stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "Of course I have an appetite on your birthday." She smiled as she took her bag from him.

Adam smiled. "Okay then...we should be going now. Later, Drew!"

"Later, Adam..." As Adam and Amy were leaving, Amy turned back to Andrew and exchanged knowing glances with him. They shared a secret smile.

--

Stephanie sat backstage in a deserted locker room that nobody but her was using. She opened up her suitcase and took something out of it. She held the soft fabric up against her cheek, savoring the sensation of it against her skin. She closed her eyes as she moved the material against her nose. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the way it smelled - the scent was purely man - Adam, to be exact, as it was _his_ shirt she was holding. It was the short-sleeved black button-down shirt he'd been searching for while in the locker room earlier. She'd snuck into Adam and Jay's locker room when she knew they weren't there earlier that night. Adam had been in the ring for his match at the time, and Jay had been with Trish, whom he'd started dating a couple of months earlier. It had been the perfect time.

She'd deliberately chosen this particular shirt to snatch from his bag. She knew it was one of his favorites, and he'd worn it a couple of days before. When she lifted it and smelled it, she knew that he hadn't washed it, as it was still clean and smelled of an intoxicating combination of Adam's cologne and of Adam himself...

--

"I'm missing a shirt," Adam told Amy as she steered their rental car around Atlanta. She'd insisted on driving that night.

"Really? Which one?" she asked, tossing her red hair off her face with her left hand while driving with her right.

"The black one I wore to the club - _that_ night."

Amy met his eyes, and Adam's face broke out into a broad grin as he recalled that night in Miami and the four times of incredible sex they'd had in that single night. It was a night he was extremely proud of, as any red-blooded male would be. Amy smiled slyly with the memory of the night in question.

Adam's smile slowly faded. "But seriously, Ames...I'm upset that I can't find that shirt. You know how much I love that one!"

"Maybe you left it at the hotel," she suggested.

"No...I know I packed it in my duffel bag and brought it to the arena with me tonight. I did that deliberately so I could wear it tonight."

"I'm sure it'll turn up," Amy replied confidently. "If not, we'll get you another one."

Adam sulked a bit and was silent for a moment. After a while, he said, "Are you sure you know where you're going?" They'd been driving around in what seemed like circles for the past twenty minutes. Adam checked his watch.

"Yes, of course. We're going right..._there_," she said, pointing to the small restaurant that sat on the corner of the street she'd just drove up.

Adam peered out the window. It was a tiny Italian place that looked to be a family-style restaurant. He'd never been there before, in all the times the WWF had been to Atlanta.

"Why did it take us so long to find this place?" he questioned, realizing they'd passed it by a good four or five times.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Adam...I knew exactly where this place was," Amy said innocently.

He laughed. "Leave it to a woman to do the driving...and you think us _guys_ are bad with asking for directions!"

"Hey!" Amy playfully smacked him on the shoulder as she put the car in park. "I knew where I was going! Now, come on, birthday boy!"

They got out of the car and walked hand-in-hand up the short walk to the door of the small restaurant. A hostess greeted them, and Amy smiled and said, "Reservation for Dumas."


	11. Chapter 10

"Ah, yes," the woman said with a smile. "Come right this way..." She led them around a corner to the main dining area. Adam realized the restaurant was a little bigger than he'd thought after all.

All of a sudden, he got a huge surprise when a group of people shouted, "Surprise!" He looked around and saw Jay, Trish, Matt, Jeff, Andrew, Stacy, and some other friends - Matt Bloom, Glen Jacobs, Scott Taylor, Mark Lamonica, Devon Hughes, Nora Greenwald, and Jackie Moore, seated at a group of tables in the middle of the room. They all started saying happy birthday to him.

"Oh, jeez...you guys!" Adam exclaimed. He was truly surprised. "And _you_," he said, turning toward Amy and giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "You had me completely fooled!" He raised a hand up to her cheek and kissed her, and laughing, she kissed him back. Their friends all applauded and laughed.

"Hey, over here, Adam," Jay called, waving him over. "You're at the head of the table, and we saved a seat for your lady right here, too."

"Thanks, Jay." Adam led Amy over to the opposite end of the table. He sat down at the head of the table, and Amy sat at his left side while Jay was at his right. He turned to Amy. "No wonder you kept driving in circles!"

--

Stephanie and Chris were back in their hotel room, relaxing after Chris' match, which was one of the last for the evening. She felt depressed. She knew that it was Adam's birthday and also knew that she and Chris had not been invited. Rather, Chris _would_ have been invited, but Adam and Amy's friends were not _her_ friends. They didn't want _her_ there.

None of them wanted anything to do with her and she knew it. Even Trish, who had been somewhat of a friend to her for a few months, had turned against her. The petite blonde had all but stopped even acknowledging her once she'd started seeing Adam's best friend, Jay Reso. Actually, that wasn't true. Trish had stopped associating with her since the night she'd attacked Amy and Trish had confronted her about it.

Stephanie didn't care. She didn't need them - _any_ of them. They were all worthless trash, anyway. All of them except for Adam. _Adam_...

She glanced down beside her on the bed and realized that Chris was fast asleep. They'd been watching TV together, and he'd been exhausted after his match, since it had been against The Undertaker. An irresistible urge suddenly overtook Stephanie. She silently got off the bed and slipped into her shoes, quietly leaving the room.

She made her way down the hall and went up the stairwell to the third floor of the hotel. Taking out the card key that still resided in her pocket, she glanced at the hotel room number and smiled. Room 345.

Glancing around like a thief in the night, Stephanie let herself into the room, knowing full well that nobody was there. She'd overheard all about Adam's surprise birthday party at this restaurant somewhere in the city.

Shutting the door behind her, she flipped on the light switch and glanced around the room. She just wanted to get a look at the room in which Adam was currently residing. Her face broke out into a grin as she surveyed the area. She saw his bags laid out on the floor near the bed and realized that the room smelled vaguely like his cologne.

When her eyes spotted Amy's stuff, her smile disappeared and was replaced by a scowl. _Why can't that woman just get lost_? she wondered bitterly. She truly hated Amy's guts. Maybe she should write another "attack" in the script and beat that bitch senseless again. The smile returned to Stephanie's face as she envisioned such an act.

She spent another five minutes just standing there by the door before leaving and returning to her own room, and to Chris.

--

When he and Amy returned to their hotel room later that night, Adam's arms were full of gifts his friends had given him. A few of the smaller ones were in his duffel bag and in Amy's tote bag. Amy fished in her bag for her room key but couldn't seem to find it.

"That's strange," she said. "I can't find my key."

"Hmm..." Adam said thoughtfully. "...first my shirt, now your room key. Well, I know I've got mine. Hold on." He set his packages down on the floor in front of him and put a hand in a pocket of his jacket. "Voile!" With a smile, he opened the door.

Amy instantly went to the bed and began taking things out of her bag. She put all of the gifts for Adam she had in there aside, then searched around. "I _know_ I had it," she said, puzzled. "How can I have lost it?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure it'll turn up," Adam said, using the very familiar words she'd said to him earlier that night when he'd complained about his missing shirt. "Or else we'll have to pay a fee for a missing key - I guess. Don't worry about it."

Dropping his coat on the back of a chair, he approached the bed and positioned himself over her. She gazed up at him and put her arms up, instantly encircling his neck. Adam lay down on the bed half-on top of her and half-beside her and kissed her deeply and passionately.

Amy kissed him back fervently, her body instantly warming up with the heat of him. She felt him hardening against her thigh and reached down to stroke him.

Adam sighed with pleasure and reached down to undo his zipper, freeing himself. Amy pulled back to gaze down and then back up into his eyes. She bit her lips with anticipation, patting the bed at her right side, and Adam fell onto it.

Amy turned around to face him again and slowly crawled to him, unbuttoning his jeans, and she straddled him and kissed him, rubbing against him as she did so. Adam groaned and ran his fingers through her long, thick red hair.

"Amy..." His breathing quickened as she pulled down his jeans and briefs and then bent over to take him into her mouth. What a great birthday, he thought, realizing that during his last one, he had not had Amy as his girlfriend. He loved her so much.

--

Hours later, while Adam slept soundly beside her, his arm thrown over her, Amy lay awake. She'd slept fitfully for most of the night, as her mind was working overtime.

She was worried. Something was going on, something she didn't want to think about right now, but she knew she had no choice. She had to face the music and deal with the consequences, and the sooner, the better. But what about her career?

She sighed. In the morning, she would deal with things. In the meantime, all she could do was sleep - if that blessed privilege would return to her.

--

After ten-thirty that morning, when Adam went into the bathroom for his shower, Amy slipped into a pair of cargo pants, a pullover top and her shoes, then grabbed her wallet, jacket and Adam's room key. She would only be gone a few minutes, as she was only going directly across the street from the hotel. Adam wouldn't even know she was gone, as he was famous for his long showers. All the better, because she didn't want him to know she was going out.

--

Stephanie McMahon stood in the doorway to the stairwell of the third floor of the hotel and watched in disgust as Amy disappeared into the elevator. Good. Amy was gone and Chris was still asleep. What perfect timing. She made her way stealthily to the door to room 345, taking out the key she'd swiped from Amy's bag the previous night.

She tiptoed barefooted into the room, quietly shutting the door behind her. All she wore was a short, black satin robe, her hair all loose and cascading in curls down her back.

The room was empty, the king-sized bed a mess. The shower was running in the bathroom, and Stephanie smiled to herself. Now, she would make her big move.

She tiptoed to the bathroom door, which was closed, and tried the knob, holding her breath. The door was unlocked. She entered the small room, steam billowing around her. He was right there - in the shower. Quiet as a mouse, Stephanie untied her robe, letting it fall gently to the floor. Afterward, she carefully pushed back one corner of the cloth shower curtain and peered inside.

Her eyes widened at the sight of him. Adam was even more beautiful in the nude than she'd imagined. His body was taut and muscular and couldn't have been more perfect if Michaelangelo had sculpted it. Though she could only see him from the back, she knew his front must be equally as gorgeous, perhaps more so.

A grin spreading across her guilty face, Stephanie stepped into the shower behind Adam. At the moment, he was soaping up his muscular chest and didn't seem to be aware of her.

"What took you so long?" he asked, his back still to her. She was wrong - he was aware of her, after all. She didn't respond but dared to press her body up against his, her nipples instantly hardening against his back.

"Mmm...I'm glad you decided to join me, baby."

Stephanie still didn't speak, but she allowed her hands to caress Adam's washboard stomach. She opened her mouth, a sigh nearly escaping her. Oh, God... She supressed the urge to cry out. She dared to move her head ever so slightly to get a peek at the front of his body and nearly gasped. He appeared to have a full erection, and he must have had at least nine inches! Stephanie wanted to feel that inside of her. Oh, God...

Feeling particularly brave because Adam still hadn't realized she was not Amy, Stephanie moved her left hand until it was grasping his penis. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his hardness. God, he was _so_ hard!

"Oh, that feels good," Adam said softly as her hand began moving up and down.

"I can make you feel _really_ good," she said in a throaty voice.

Adam spun around sharply as he suddenly realized it was not Amy in the shower with him. His eyes went wide as he took in the sight of a naked and wet Stephanie McMahon standing behind him.

"What the fuck are _you_ doing in here?!" he shouted. He grabbed ahold of the shower curtain, modestly trying to cover himself up. "Get out!!"

Stephanie stared at him, her feelings hurt. "You said you _liked_ what I was doing..."

"Get the fuck out of here - _now_! I don't know how the hell you got in here, but at the moment, I don't really _care_ to know."

"But Amy's not here - don't you see? It's okay, Adam. She's not here right now," Stephanie said in an almost pleading tone.

"GET OUT!! Amy's not here? Then get the fuck out before she gets back!" He quickly stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, instantly swathing it around his hips. He grabbed another, then went back to the shower and grasped Stephanie by her upper arm, forcing her out of it. He angrily shoved the other towel at her and said, "Dry off, put on your clothes and get out of here, goddamn it!"

Stephanie pouted and stared at him with hurt eyes while she wrapped the towel around herself. She stood there and gazed at him reproachfully as he appeared to get angrier by the second.

"What the fuck is _wrong_ with you, Stephanie? Have you completely lost your _mind_?!" Adam shook his head as he realized that what Amy had reported Trish telling her months ago was in fact true - Stephanie obviously had some sick obsession with him to pull a stunt like this.

Stephanie didn't say anything but just stared at him with large, sad-looking blue eyes.

All of a sudden, Adam became aware of the bathroom door being opened, and to his horror, Amy was standing there in the doorway. His heart sank at the expression in her eyes as she took in the scene. Her eyes scanned Stephanie from head-to-toe, then shifted over to him.

"What the hell is _this_? What the hell is going on here?!" she screamed. Her shocked eyes met Adam's.

Adam quickly grabbed his robe and slipped into it. "This is NOT what it looks like, Amy...I know this looks really bad, but it is not-"

"Spare me all your lies, Adam Copeland!!" she shouted. "You make me sick!" She turned around and fled.

Adam shoved past Stephanie and ran after Amy. "Amy, wait! Amy!!"

Amy ran down the hall, unable to contain her tears any longer. She felt as if her world were collapsing. She ignored Adam's calls and ran straight for room 367, knocking and calling frantically. "Let me in, please!" she cried.

In seconds, the door was opened, and Amy rushed inside and threw herself into the arms of Jay Reso. As he shut the door and held tightly to her, she let loose and wept uncontrollably. "Oh, my God!"

Jay stroked her hair softly and turned his head to exchange concerned and confused glances with Trish Stratus, who was seated on the edge of the bed. "What's the matter, Amy? What is it?"

"Oh, Jay...I..." Overcome by another fit of sobs, she couldn't finish her sentence. She suddenly looked past Jay's shoulder and saw Trish standing right behind him, a look of concern on her face. "Oh, Trish!" She reached one hand out to her.

"What happened?" Trish said softly, reaching one hand out to Amy.

Before Amy could respond, there was a series of knocks at the door.

"Amy! Amy! Please talk to me! _Please_?!" It was Adam.

Jay looked about to open the door to let him in, but Amy stopped him. "No! Don't let him in. Please, Jay. _Please_!"

Realizing just how distraught Amy was, Jay resignedly slipped the chain lock in place, and only then did he open the door a crack. He hated himself for doing this, but he didn't want to upset Amy any further.

"Hold on, Adam," he said, peeking out at him, "Amy doesn't want to see you right now."

"Come on, Jay! Let me in!" Adam demanded. He looked desperate and upset.

"Sorry, but I can't do that right now - not right now..."

"Jay!" Adam yelled sharply. He looked at Jay furiously and lifted a hand, seeming ready to shove his way through the door, through the chain. Jay pushed it shut and locked it before he could attempt to do so. He felt like shit doing such a thing to his best friend, but first he had to find out what had happened. He listened to Adam ranting and raving outside the door for a moment before storming off.

Amy was sitting on the bed beside Trish, holding onto one of her hands while Trish smoothed away some strands of her hair off her face. She squeezed her eyes shut and more tears fell on her cheeks.

"What's the matter, Amy? What happened? Tell me..."

"Oh, God...I...It feels like a horrible nightmare!"

Jay came over to stand in front of the women. "What happened?" he asked her. A thought crossed his mind, but he realized how ludicrous it was - Adam would never hit a woman.

"I went out for awhile," Amy began, taking deep breaths to control her crying. "And when I came back, I found him getting out of the shower with...with Stephanie McMahon! He's _cheating_ on me with her!" She started weeping uncontrollably again.

"Oh, my God!" Trish exclaimed.

Amy covered her mouth with one hand and lay her head down on Trish's lap. "What am I going to do?" she cried. "I _love_ Adam..."

While Trish stroked Amy's hair, Jay spoke up. "I don't believe it," he said. "Adam and Stephanie? That doesn't add up."

"But she saw it with her own two eyes, Jay," Trish said, looking up at him.

"Adam can't stand Stephanie McMahon," Jay said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, sure - take _his_ side," Trish said with a smirk of disapproval. "You men sure stick together, don't you?"

"Trish, listen to me," Jay insisted. "I know for a fact that Adam would never touch Stephanie. And I don't believe that he would cheat on Amy, period. Amy, he loves you more than anything."

Amy lifted her head and stared at him.

"He loves you more than anything, and he wouldn't hurt you like that. I know there's got to be a logical explanation."

Amy shook her head, fresh tears coming to her eyes. "Oh, God..." she looked down at the small paper bag she still held tightly in her left hand. "...Trish, I need to speak to you privately." She emphasized that last word.

"Sure, Amy." Trish glanced at Jay meaningfully.

"Does that mean you ladies want me to get lost?"

"Only for a little while," Trish said with a shrug. "Why don't you go talk to Adam?" she suggested.

"All right, I'll go and do that," Jay said. He grabbed his hotel key and glanced at them one more time before slipping out of the room.

When he was gone, Amy gazed at Trish plaintively. "Oh, Trish...I don't know what I'm going to do." She bit her lip nervously. "I had to go out to the drug store across the street and get..._this_..." She gestured toward the bag.

"What's in it?"

Amy closed her eyes and took out the contents of the small paper bag, then, opening her eyes and meeting her friend's, she calmly said, "Trish...I think I may be pregnant."


	12. Chapter 11

Just as Adam had finished getting dressed back in his hotel room, there was a knock at the door.

"Adam? Are you in there? Can I come in?" It was Jay.

Adam wanted to ignore his friend after what he'd just done to him, but he didn't.

"Sorry, Jay," he called through the door, "but I can't let you in right now." The truth was, he was going out, anyway.

"Aw, come on...I'm sorry I did that just now, man." He was about to knock again, but Adam opened the door and stepped out.

"Whatever," Adam muttered, glaring at Jay. He was thoroughly pissed, and although his anger wasn't toward Jay, he was using him as a scapegoat. "Get out of my way...I'm going out for a drive." He pushed past Jay and headed for the stairwell.

Jay stood there for a beat, staring after him, then said, "Oh, hell...Adam, wait up!" He ran after his lifelong friend.

Jay followed Adam down the stairs, to the lobby, which wasn't easy because Adam was walking extremely fast with those long legs of his. He finally caught up with him outside of the hotel.

"Come on, Adam - talk to me, man," Jay begged. He wanted to know what had happened and knew that there had been some misunderstanding. Adam didn't reply as he walked briskly to his rental car and got in behind the wheel.

When he started the ignition and didn't move to unlock the passenger's side, Jay tried the door - it was already unlocked, much to his relief. He slipped in and slammed the door.

Adam pulled the car out of its space and steered it onto the street. The two best friends sat in silence for a couple of miles before Adam stopped for a red light and finally spoke.

"Goddamn it, Jay! That's it, it's over - I've lost Amy for sure. Shit!" He hit the steering wheel with his right hand, then nervously raked his fingers through his long blond hair. He felt furious enough to punch out one of the car windows.

"What the hell happened this morning, Adam?" Jay asked as he turned to study his friend's face. "Amy told Trish and me that Stephanie-"

"_Fuck_ Stephanie McMahon!" Adam shouted, punching the steering wheel as he continued to drive. "That psycho bitch! Do you want to know what _really_ happened, Jay? Stephanie snuck into our room while Amy was out...holy shit - that's _it_! She stole Amy's room key," he said, figuring out one mystery.

"What?"

"Amy was missing her room key - Stephanie must have stolen it out of her bag last night. I _know_ that's what happened!" Adam cried.

"Why would she do that?" Jay asked.

"Jeez, Jay...doesn't your girlfriend tell you _anything_ she discusses with her friends?" He shook his head. "Never mind. Remember when I went out with Stephanie?"

"Sure...but that was three years ago."

"Right," Adam said. "But what I didn't know was that, in these three years, Stephanie McMahon has been harboring this crazy obsession toward me. This morning, she snuck into my room and got in the shower with me."

Jay stared at Adam, incredulous. "You mean...?"

"No..." Adam said, annoyed with what he knew his friend was thinking. "Never! I thought she was Amy at first because my back was to her. But then, when she spoke...I got the hell out, put on a towel and tried to throw her out of there. She stalled by giving me this innocent, hurt look, and the next thing I knew, Amy was standing there in the doorway."

"So, Amy put two and two together and...oh, God," Jay said.

"Fuck! That bitch must have stolen my shirt, too. God, Jay...how the hell am I going to make Amy believe the truth?" Adam was furious as he thought about Stephanie, about what she'd tried to do - and what she had done. "That spoiled little bitch wanted to break us apart all along," he said between clenched teeth. In his anger, he floored the accelerator.

Jay felt his chest push forward and mentally counted his lucky stars that he'd put on his seatbelt. He had never seen Adam so pissed, and they went back twenty years.

"Adam, slow down. I'm sure you'll be able to patch this all up with Amy. She loves you, and she's a reasonable girl."

"That fucking Stephanie McMahon! Thinks she's some princess who can play with people's lives!" He continued speeding, spitting out a string of curses.

A moment later, Jay muttered some curses himself when he suddenly heard a police siren behind them.

"Aw, shit!"

Adam glanced into the rearview mirror and shook his head.

"Damn," he hissed as he pulled the car over to the side of the road. A uniformed police officer got out of the vehicle and approached him. Adam rolled down the window, feeling like a scolded dog.

"License and registration, sir," the officer demanded. Adam reached for both, relieved that he had them with him. Neither he nor Jay said a single word while the official eyed his information. "Hey, you're Edge!" the officer suddenly said.

Adam looked up, surprised. Maybe they would get out of this one with no trouble after all.

The officer leaned over and peered into the window, and it was then that he got a glimpse of Jay as well.

"And you're Christian!"

Jay lifted a hand and saluted the policeman.

"Well, this is quite a surprise. However, Mr..." he glanced back down at Adam's license, which he held in his right hand, "...Copeland, you were doing close to eighty in a forty-five mile an hour zone."

"I apologize, officer," Adam said humbly. "I promise, it won't happen again."

"Hey, you're one lucky man," the cop said, winking. "That Lita sure is gorgeous."

"Yeah, she is," Adam replied longingly, a heavy, sinking feeling in his chest. If he lost Amy...

"Here you go..." The officer handed him back his information, and Adam realized he was indeed getting off scot-free. "No more speeding!"

"Yes, sir."

As the cop turned to go back to his patrol car, Adam put the car back in drive and steered away.

"Whew, that was a close one," Jay said, glancing behind them through the back window. "Sometimes our careers are a true blessing, huh?"

"Uh huh," Adam muttered. At that moment, he felt the incredible urge to drive to some neighborhood bar and get hammered.


	13. Chapter 12

"Oh, my God!" Amy exclaimed, fresh tears coming to her eyes as she and Trish looked over the results of her _Clear Blue Easy_ pregnancy test. In the designated area was a plus sign. She lifted a hand and placed it over her mouth to stifle her cries. "What am I going to do? Oh, God!"

Trish came over to pull her into a comforting hug.

"A baby! This is the worst time for something like this to happen! Trish, what am I going to do?"

Trish gazed into her friend's tear-stained face sympathetically and smoothed some strands of red hair off of her face.

"Well, for starters, you're going to pull yourself together," she said. "These home pregnancy tests are not always accurate. I think you should go see the company doctor."

"I know what the end result is going to be!" Amy cried. "Oh, God..." She sobbed, making no attempt to wipe away any of the tears.

Trish stared at her friend, momentarily at a loss for words. She didn't know what else to say at the moment to comfort Amy, because the chances were great that the test had _not_ produced false results and that Amy was pregnant. Then, she placed her hands on either of Amy's shoulders, gazing directly into her eyes.

"Listen to me, Amy...when was your last period?"

Amy's face was a mask of worry and fear for several seconds, then one of intense concentration as she thought about her friend's question.

"It was...oh, God! It was a month ago. I never _got_ it this month!"

"Oh, shit," Trish said softly.

Amy ran a hand through her hair.

"I don't believe this...I mean, I _do_ want to have a baby someday, but now is the wrong time! There's my career - damn it, Trish! I'm a pro-wrestler! A baby right now would ruin my career!" She bowed her head and cried some more.

Trish gazed at her sympathetically for a moment, then snapped back to her senses.

"Come on," she said. She snatched up the pregnancy test and tossed it into the waste basket. "Wash your face, and we'll go get some breakfast."

"Oh, God!" With Trish's last words, Amy suddenly felt horribly nauseous. It was as if her friend had put the whammy on her. She rushed over to the toilet, pulled up the lid and seat and vomited.

Trish rushed to get her a cold cup of water, then came back and handed it to her.

"Has this happened before? Have you thrown up before?"

"Yes," Amy admitted reluctantly. "I haven't been feeling well the past couple of weeks." She took a sip of water and wiped the side of her face.

"Come on, let's get out of this bathroom."

Trish led Amy back into the room and sat beside her on the bed. She glanced at her watch and suddenly realized that Jay had been gone for almost an hour.

Just then, as if he'd read her mind, Jay came through the door. He glanced at the two women and shook his head when he saw that Amy was still so upset. While he removed his jacket, Trish regarded him.

"Did you go talk to Adam?"

"Yeah...he told me what happened." Then, facing Amy, he said, "Stephanie McMahon stole your room key and snuck in while he was in the shower."

Amy looked up at him with tearful, questioning eyes, but didn't speak.

"It's the truth, Amy...look, you've really got to talk to Adam."

"I can't...I can't talk to him right now, Jay - not now." She exchanged nervous glances with Trish, then held both hands up to her face. "Damn that Adam Copeland!"

While Trish again tried to console her, Jay disappeared into the bathroom.

"Amy, Jay is right - you _do_ have to talk to Adam."

"But I don't feel like I can do that right now. I just know that image is going to be burned into my brain for a long time to come, Trish - the image of him and Stephanie-"

"What's this?" Amy was suddenly interrupted by Jay's tremulous voice, and both she and Trish looked up. Jay was standing directly outside the bathroom door, holding up Amy's pregnancy test. His face had gone ashen.

Amy and Trish exchanged nervous glances again. Neither of them spoke a word.

"Trish...?"

Trish simply stared at Jay. She didn't want to spill the beans to him, valuing her friend's right to privacy. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"Jay, that's mine," Amy suddenly admitted in a clear, unwavering voice.

Jay stared at her in shock.

"It's _yours_? Amy, are you pregnant?" When she didn't reply, he plodded on. "Listen, I know you're mad at Adam, but if you're pregnant, you have to tell him!"

Amy shook her head. "I can't...I can't talk to him right now."

"You _have_ to talk to him!" Jay shouted. "Amy...Adam grew up without a father. If you're carrying his baby...it would devastate him if his child ended up going through the same thing he did."

Fresh tears coursed their way down Amy's cheeks as she listened to Jay's words. She knew he was right.

Then, Trish jumped in to her defense. "Jay, she doesn't know for sure if she's really pregnant. Amy is going to get checked out by the company doctor, and then she'll know for sure...right, Amy?"

Wiping away some tears, Amy nodded.

"Yes..." She looked up at Trish pleadingly. "Would you go with me?"

"Of course I will," Trish replied, gently stroking Amy's hair, then giving her shoulder a friendly squeeze.

"Thank you." She hugged her. "And Trish? Can I...stay here with _you_ for awhile? I can't be around Adam right now."

Trish looked up and met Jay's blue gaze. A silent communication went between them, then Trish said, "Sure, Amy...Jay can go and stay with Adam while you're rooming with me."


	14. Chapter 13

**_A/N: Thanks to DCFanatic4life for the review of the last chapter. :) Wow! Coming from the best Stephanie/Jericho writer on the planet, I'm honored to receive such praise from you for my portrayal of the two in this story. ;) Thank you once again!!_**

Stephanie McMahon was shocked and depressed after what had happened that morning. She had never expected such a negative reaction from Adam, and it hurt.

As she sat on the edge of the bed in her and Chris' room, she bitterly recalled every moment. Had he figured out yet that she had rummaged through Amy's tote bag for that key? Something told her he had.

She had heard Amy running down the hall, Adam chasing her. She'd heard Adam begging Jay Reso to let him into his room, as Amy had apparently gone there. A few minutes later, she'd heard Adam and Jay arguing and then footsteps pounding away. She'd gone to the window and seen the two of them outside, get into a car and drive off.

_How could he act that way_? _As if he were_ repulsed _by me_? Steph wondered. She winced as she recalled the expression of pure horror in Adam's eyes as he'd finally seen that it was _her_ in the shower with him. And then, the horror had been replaced by disdain - contempt. It was reminiscent of the look on Paul's face when she'd broken it off with him.

Stephanie was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't realize Chris had come out from his shower. She looked up when he spoke to her.

"Ready to go get some lunch?"

She stared at him, marveling at how he'd somehow managed to sleep through her entire ordeal. Good thing he was a heavy sleeper.

"I'm not...hungry." She meant it. Her appetite had completely vanished after what had happened. How could Adam reject her like that?

"Well, _I_ am," Chris stated. "Come out with me to eat."

Stephanie gazed at him. She decided it would be best to get out and away from here for awhile after all - before the inevitable gossip made its way to Chris.

--

Hours later, Adam sat alone in the hotel bar. As he downed drink after drink, he mentally replayed the events of that morning. He was desperately trying to think of a way to approach Amy, to convince her that he had not been unfaithful to her with Stephanie McMahon - or _anyone_ - as she obviously thought he had.

Normally, Adam wasn't much of a drinker, though he enjoyed an occasional beer or two. However, he was so upset that he felt he could drink an entire keg to drown away his sorrows. As he was chugging on what was probably his eighth beer - he'd lost count - he heard Jay's voice.

"Hey, dude...don't you think you've had enough?"

Adam glanced to his left to see Jay sitting on the barstool next to him, staring at him with a concerned expression on his face.

"Leave me alone," he muttered, his voice slightly slurred from all the alcohol.

"No," Jay insisted emphatically. "Enough is enough already. Come on..." He yanked the bottle out of Adam's hand and grabbed him by the arm.

Adam resignedly allowed Jay to pull him away from the bar. He leaned on him for support as they approached the stairwell.

"Oh, forget about it," Jay muttered. "We'll take the elevator."

Back in Adam's room, Jay led his best friend to his bed and removed his shoes for him. Adam lay there quietly for a few minutes with his left arm thrown across his forehead, shielding his eyes. Jay pulled a chair up by the bed and watched over him.

"It's all over, Jay," Adam suddenly moaned. "What am I going to do without her? I love her, Jay...I love her so much, sometimes it physically hurts..."

"It's not over, Adam."

"You don't know that. God, I love Amy _so_ much..." He started to cry.

Jay watched as Adam's body was wracked with sobs.

"Aw, hey, man...it'll be okay," he said.

Adam continued to cry, his emotions heightened even more by all the beer he'd drank. He wept like a baby. "Amy...Amy," he sobbed into the pillow. To make matters worse, the bed was fragrant with the scent of her.

Jay came over to sit on the bed by Adam.

"Don't worry - this will all blow over. You'll talk to Amy when she's ready, and you'll explain everything, and you guys will be just like you were before."

Adam continued crying.

"Aw, shit, Adam," Jay said. He moved closer and hugged him, and he could feel Adam's body shaking as he wept.

--

_One week later, Uniondale, New York, Nassau Coliseum_

Amy stepped out into the hallway of the arena. It was about thirty minutes before RAW, and she had just gone to see the company doctor. Her face was pale as she exchanged glances with Trish, who had been waiting for her.

"Well?" Trish had an expectant expression on her face, her dark brown eyes focused on Amy's hazel ones.

Amy didn't speak. Her eyes were suddenly focused on a vision beyond Trish. "Oh, no," she whispered to herself. She wished the floor would just open up and swallow her at that very moment.

Trish looked up and followed her friend's eyes and saw Adam walking over to them. His green eyes looked concerned as he gazed upon Amy.

"Amy?" he said softly. "What's the matter? I just saw you leaving the doctor's office..." The company doctor stayed in a specific room each time they were out on tour, and he knew that this was it for whenever they were at the Nassau Coliseum.

"I can't..." Amy closed her eyes and shook her head, putting up both hands in a retreating manner. "...I can't talk to you right now, Adam. I just can't be around you right now." She walked briskly away, head down, and didn't turn back.

Trish started to follow after her, but Adam grabbed her by the arm.

"Trish, wait," he said. "What's wrong with Amy? Is she sick?"

Trish looked down and bit her lip. Then, looking directly into his eyes, she said, "I don't know, Adam. What I _do_ know is that she's very upset about what happened last week."

Adam swallowed hard, hating the clenched feeling he had in his gut.

"Just leave her be for now," Trish said gently. "Let her just be by herself for awhile, and when she's ready, she will talk to you. I _know_ she will." She gave him a sympathetic squeeze on the shoulder before hurrying off to catch up to Amy.

Adam stood there for a moment, watching as Trish disappeared. He momentarily turned toward the door of the doctor's office, considering going in and demanding to know why Amy had seen him but decided against it. Then, checking his watch, he turned and walked away. The show would be starting in less than twenty minutes, and although he didn't have a match scheduled for that night, he was still expected to be out there with everyone else. He had to return to his locker room and get changed.

Trish found Amy alone in the locker room they were sharing. She was standing in front of the vanity mirror, her shirt pulled up slightly, her hands gently rubbing her flat belly. Amy stared at her reflection, at her stomach, when she suddenly realized Trish was in the room with her. Their eyes met in the mirror. Trish gazed at her seriously as she realized what the doctor had obviously told Amy.

"I'm pregnant, Trish...the doctor said I'm just about a month along...I'm pregnant with Adam's baby..."

--

Twenty minutes later, RAW began. Mr. McMahon and daughter Stephanie strolled arm-in-arm to the ring. The boss had a microphone in hand and began one of his endless, tedious tirades. Five minutes later, he called each and every WWF superstar to come out from the back and gather around ringside to listen carefully to what he and Stephanie both had to say.

Normally, Adam would have gone to the ring with Amy by his side, but she was nowhere to be seen. He was one of the first few wrestlers to walk out, Albert, Scotty 2 Hotty and Chris Jericho the closest near him. He didn't see Amy anywhere and felt concerned.

A moment later, he spotted Amy as being one of the last few superstars to emerge from the back. His eyes slowly scanned her from head-to-toe, and back up again, longingly. She was wearing a pair of baggy navy blue pants with pink bungee cords and a bright pink belly shirt. Her hot pink thong showed outside of her low-slung pants. To Adam, she looked more appetizing than a seven-course gourmet meal. He longed to touch her, to hold her.

As she walked out, she gazed at him momentarily, taking in his black shirt and black leather pants, then looked directly into his eyes. She looked so unhappy, so lost. Adam's heart stopped for a second, and he couldn't tear his gaze away from her. She came to a stop nearly directly in front of his line of vision, on the other side of the ring. He noticed Trish, who was at her left side, nudge her and whisper something to her, but Amy appeared to just ignore her. Her eyes remained glued on Adam for a couple of minutes. They seemed almost to engage in a staring contest until Amy finally looked away.

Vince continued with his speech, which ended up going on for at least a full ten or fifteen minutes. Adam couldn't concentrate on the meaningless words, and his eyes remained fixed on Amy the entire time. He wouldn't look elsewhere - he _couldn't_. He felt a sharp pang in his heart as he noticed Amy deliberately trying to avoid looking at him. She wasn't focusing on anything or anyone in particular and appeared almost lost within herself.

Adam finally tore his gaze off of Amy as he suddenly heard Stephanie McMahon's shrill, annoying voice. He looked up at her in the ring, emerald eyes glaring through her. If one of the cameras were to focus directly on his face, he knew that anyone would plainly be able to see the hatred he had for her.

While Stephanie continued her whining, Adam suddenly came to a decision. He would confront the bitch sometime before the night was over. He had to say his piece, as it was all Stephanie's fault that Amy had been avoiding him all week. He and Amy _loved_ each other - it wasn't right that they should be apart - and especially not over the crazy, irrational actions of someone the likes of Stephanie McMahon.

--

Stephanie was esconced in the room she was using as her personal office and locker room for the night. She was glad that, after her speech with her father earlier that night, she didn't have to put in any more appearances. She just wanted to be alone, as she had not felt too good about herself during the week for not getting the desired reaction and response from Adam.

She sat down on the black leather couch in one corner of the room, arranging her purple mini-skirt. She pressed one hand against her forehead, as she was feeling slightly warm. She hoped she wasn't getting sick. She had business to attend to, as she was the WWF's head writer.

She had a few ideas and wanted to put them to use. Maybe she would write Amy into having to compete in a genuine, physical match with a male wrestler. She laughed aloud at this thought, as she would love to see the bitch worked over.

Suddenly, the door was thrown open and slammed back into place. Stephanie leapt up from the couch in shock, nearly crying out as she was so abruptly startled. Who would _dare_ burst into her office like this? She looked up, directly into the handsome face of Adam Copeland, whose emerald eyes glittered with rage as he glared at her. His face was contorted with anger. She smiled.

"Why, Adam...you didn't have to-" Stephanie's voice was cut off as Adam swiftly grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off her feet, and slammed her against the wall. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Now, you listen to me, princess," he hissed between clenched teeth, his face reddened in his violent fury, "I don't know what kind of shit you're trying to pull, but if you do or say anything - _anything_ to hurt Amy, I will personally kill you. This is not a threat - it's a _promise_. I swear, I will _kill_ you."

Stephanie struggled against Adam's iron grip on her throat, flailing her feet, which were still off the floor. Adam held her up to his own eyes' length. Wave after wave of fear coursed through Steph, and her blood felt chilled as she stared into Adam's eyes. He looked positively demonic. Stephanie tried to speak, but her words were choked because of the hand still holding fast to her throat.

"I...I only did what I did because...I love you..." Her voice sounded feeble, even to her. "I thought you felt the same way...I thought there was something between us..."

"Why the fuck did you think _that_, princess?!" Adam demanded, moving his face closer to hers. His voice sounded like a taunt to Stephanie. "I am in love with _Amy_ - I will _never_ love you!"

Tears began to come to Stephanie's eyes as she felt her heart breaking at his words. She again struggled to free herself, one hand pulling at Adam's, and the other weakly trying to strike him. She failed at both attempts.

Adam wasn't thinking clearly and was acting solely on pure impulse, rage and passion. He felt as if he could choke the life out of Stephanie right then and there.

All of a sudden, the door opened and Chris Irvine's voice boomed out.

"What the fuck is going on here?! Get your hands off her!"

Without turning around, Adam said, "Go away, Chris...this doesn't involve you. This is between me and this bitch."

"Like _hell_!" Chris shouted. "That's my girlfriend you're manhandling there, Copeland!" He ran over and grabbed Adam's shoulder in an attempt to turn him around to face him. In the process, Adam released Stephanie, who dropped on her feet. She clutched at her throat. Adam gave the smaller man a shove to the chest.

"_Don't_, Chris!" But Chris took a swing at him anyway, punching him in the cheek. His head was rocked back by the force of the blow. Adam didn't want to hit his friend, but he had no choice. He punched him back, in the jaw. Chris staggered back from the blow, holding his face. Instead of hitting Adam a second time, he went to Stephanie's side. The heiress was rubbing her throat and coughing as she was finally able to take deep breaths.

"You know, it's a real shame you don't see her for what she really is," Adam said, looking Chris squarely in the eye. "One of these days, you're going to find out - the _hard_ way." He turned around and fled the room.

Adam rushed to the locker room. He had to compose himself and hoped Jay would be around for him to talk to. He knew he would have to face serious repercussions for what he'd just done. He would be lucky if all Vince did was suspend him for a month or two.


	15. Chapter 14

Hours later, Amy was in her and Trish's hotel room, laying in bed and absent-mindedly watching TV. She heard the door open and shut and looked up at Trish, who had just stepped in after spending an hour with Jay.

"Oh, Amy," Trish said, sitting down on the other bed with a concerned expression on her face. "I just heard something terrible from Jay."

Amy sat up. She knew that whatever Trish was referring to, it had to do with Adam. "What is it?" She braced herself for the worst.

"Adam attacked Stephanie McMahon tonight...he stormed into her office and grabbed her by the throat. He warned her against doing or saying anything to hurt you, Amy..."

Amy gaped at Trish, at a loss for words.

"...He was trying to protect you, Amy...Jay said that Adam was afraid Stephanie might write something crazy in the script again, like another surprise ambush on you - or worse," Trish said. "He's afraid he might get suspended - he's sure it's all going to get back to Vince."

"Oh, God," Amy said softly, closing her eyes. She couldn't believe what a crazy thing Adam did, and all to protect _her_. And he still didn't even know about the baby yet.

Trish said, "From what Jay told me, Adam doesn't think Stephanie would say anything herself. Chris walked in and got into a fight with him when he saw what he was doing to her. _He_ might go to Vince."

Amy shook her head. "Adam..." she moaned in her misery. How badly she wanted to be with him again - talk to him - have him hold her in his muscular arms and kiss her. In her dreams, nightly, she saw his beautiful, precious face, his deep greenish-brown eyes, his silky blond hair, his hypnotic smile, his hands - so large and yet so gentle when he touched her. Tears flowed from her eyes and down her cheeks.

"Amy, I really think you should talk to Adam - tonight - _now_. Jay is right. Adam loves you, and it's obvious he never did anything with Stephanie."

Amy gazed into the kind, warm eyes of her friend and knew that she was right. What a horrible person she'd been during this past week. She'd refused to speak to Adam and had avoided him at all costs. She'd jumped to a conclusion and had turned a deaf ear to any of his explanations - she hadn't even allowed him to _give_ her any - and she had ignored all of the facts Jay had given her. What a fool she'd been.

"I am just awful," she cried, covering her face with both hands. She wept.

Trish came over to sit beside her. "No, you're not, Amy...you're just confused...and hurt - you're human." She slipped an arm around her distraught friend.

"But I doubted Adam when he was trying to tell me what happened. I am such a selfish person!"

"You're not." Trish put her arms around Amy and hugged her. She tried to soothe her friend. "Shh..."

--

Adam sat up on his bed, his arms crossed over his chest as he pretended to be absorbed in the program playing on the TV set. In reality, he was totally oblivious of the show, his thoughts completely on Amy and nothing else. He didn't even look up when someone knocked on the door.

Jay jumped up to answer. Adam didn't bother looking up when he opened the door. He couldn't focus on anything. He heard Jay speaking softly with someone, then Jay telling him he would be back later. Adam only mumbled something unintelligibly in response. He heard the door shut as Jay left the room.

Adam suddenly became aware that he wasn't alone in the room and that someone was standing near the door. Finally looking up, he was astonished to see Amy there, staring at him. He instantly rose from the bed and, gazing intently at her, he walked toward her. She took a few small, tentative steps closer to him as well. He moved still closer to her, and their eyes locked.

"Amy..." He tentatively reached out to her, uncertain by the look on her face. They gazed at each other wordlessly for a moment.

Amy gazed up at him sadly, her eyes shining and unwavering. "I'm...sorry," she finally said softly, instantly breaking into tears.

Adam couldn't bear to see the love of his life so unhappy. It tore at his heart to see Amy crying. He reached out and pulled her against him, stroking her long hair. He held her tightly and never wanted to let go.

"You have nothing to apologize for," he soothed. He kissed her hair and rubbed his cheek against it. It felt so good to have her in his arms again.

After a moment, pulling slightly back and wiping the tears from her face, Amy said, "Yes, I do...I've been so unreasonable. I wouldn't even allow you to explain...God, Adam...I have been _so_ miserable this week without you."

"So have I..." He held both her hands in his and kissed them, one after the other.

"Jay told me what happened that morning - that Stephanie stole my key..."

"She's sick," Adam spat, and his face transformed into a mask of contempt. If there was one person on the planet he physically hated, it was Stephanie McMahon.

"Trish told me what you did to her tonight," Amy said with concern, lacing her fingers in his. "Adam, please tell me you didn't do what she said you did..."

Adam shook his head with the memory of grabbing Stephanie by the throat and forcefully slamming her against the wall.

"I did go into her office and held her by the throat - I told her that if she ever did anything to hurt you, I'd kill her."

"Oh, Adam..." She felt sick with worry and hoped that none of this would get back to Mr. McMahon, or else Adam would be in serious trouble.

"I couldn't help myself," he said. "I saw red, Amy...I just snapped. I _hate_ what she did to us. I hate _her_. I told Chris it's too bad he doesn't see her for what she truly is."

Amy stared into Adam's handsome face wordlessly, suddenly noticing the darkening bruise on his left cheek. "Your face," she said softly, wincing. She reached out tentatively to tenderly touch the spot.

"Yeah," Adam said softly. He didn't want to worry her further with the details of how he got the bruise.

"How did that happen?" she asked. She looked concerned.

"Chris came into Stephanie's office while I was in there with her. He didn't like what I was doing to his girlfriend, so he belted me."

"Oh, Adam," she said again. She wanted to kiss his bruise and make it disappear. They stared at each other in silence for a moment before Adam suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, yeah...what's wrong? Why did you go to see the company doctor?"

Amy held her gaze upon him and bit her lip. Wordlessly, she led him by the hand to one of the beds to sit down. She turned slightly to face him, one leg tucked underneath her.

"I had to...follow up on something," she said nervously.

Adam's expression became one of concern. "Follow up...? Oh, my God, Amy - what is it? Is it something serious?"

"I...I..." Amy faltered, as she had dreaded this moment. Then, deciding the best way to tell him was the fast way - like ripping off a band aid - she took a deep breath and said, "Adam, I'm pregnant." As she gazed at him, Adam's eyes seemed to darken. His pupils seemed to enlarge somewhat. His face showed an initial reaction of surprise.

"Really?"

Amy nodded wordlessly.

Adam's face broke into a huge grin. "Amy...Oh, my God! I'm going to be a father!" He stood up and gently pulled her up with him. "I love you!" he cried. He kissed her on the lips, then picked her up in his arms and swung her around.

Amy stared into his face. "You're really happy about this?"

"Are you kidding? Of _course_ I am!" Adam assured her, hugging her again. "Oh, Amy...this is such a beautiful surprise...a baby!" He couldn't stop grinning. "How far along are you?" he asked, holding her back and glancing at her stomach. He reached out gently to touch her.

She pressed his hand against her belly and met his eyes. "Only a month. The doctor said the baby is due around June 29th or 30th."

Adam gazed at her, in complete awe. "Wow...a month already. That's so amazing!" He pulled her to him in another embrace.

Amy held tightly to him, feeling a lot more secure and comfortable. She smiled, touched at Adam's joy. Earlier that night, when the doctor had confirmed that she was indeed pregnant, she'd known she was going to keep Adam's baby. She laughed softly.

"Oh, God, Adam...I was so worried about how you would react."

Adam held her back slightly, gazing deeply down into her eyes. "This is the best news I've heard in a long time." His green eyes sparkled. "I love you, Ames," he said softly, before dipping his head to kiss her.


	16. Chapter 15

Stephanie sat on the bed in her hotel room, shaken by the events of earlier that night. She couldn't believe that Adam had handled her so brutally. He had always been such a gentle person, and yet, somehow he had manhandled her and spoken to her in such a horrible manner.

Initially, when she'd seen him force his way into her office, she'd been pleasantly surprised and had not felt threatened in the least little way. When he had grabbed her by the throat and slammed her up against that wall, she'd actually anticipated more. His face had been close to hers when he'd spoken to her, and she'd almost thought he was going to kiss her.

She couldn't believe the words he'd spoken to her. He'd been bitterly sarcastic in calling her "princess." On top of that, had she actually heard him correctly when he'd threatened to kill her? She shuddered. She hated thinking that Adam hated her guts, which was exactly how it seemed. A single tear trickled down her cheek.

"Goddamn it!" Chris sputtered as he came in from the bathroom. He was holding his third ice pack of the evening up against his jaw. He had a darkening bruise where Adam had struck him. "I can't believe the _nerve_ of that Adam!" he shouted. "And here, I thought this guy was my friend..._some_ friend!"

Stephanie just sat there wordlessly and stared at him.

"I think we should go to your father and tell him exactly what Copeland did to you. And he threatened you, didn't he?"

Stephanie shook her head.

"No, Chris...I...I don't want to say anything to Daddy."

He stared at her in surprise.

"Are you kidding me? Why _wouldn't_ you want to report it? He _attacked_ you, Steph!"

"I just...don't. I..._can't_." Another tear fell down her cheek.

"Oh, Steph," Chris said softly, sympathetically. He dropped the ice pack on the nightstand and came to stand over her, pulling her up by one hand. She started sobbing almost uncontrollably as she remembered the manic look in Adam's eyes, in his beloved face. "Shh..." Chris soothed her as he stroked her long brown hair. "Nobody's going to hurt you again - I'll see to that." He held her for a long time, and her crying eventually subsided. He gave her a squeeze and then held her back to gaze deeply into her blue eyes.

Stephanie's face still looked sad as she met Chris' eyes and held his intense, penetrating gaze. She wanted nothing more than to forget everything that had happened earlier that night. She reached out with one hand to touch his lips, and he kissed her fingers, then grasped her hand and laced her fingers with his own. He moved his head closer to her and kissed her deeply and passionately. She kissed him back fervently, feeling stirrings of arousal.

Chris felt himself getting hard and pressed his body against Steph's. As they continued kissing, he lowered his right hand to her breast, seeking and then fingering the nipple. She breathed heavily while the kiss intensified. Stephanie moved her hand down to cup Chris' erection, and she fondled him. She was so horny right now that all she could think about was having him inside her. But despite what had happened that night, she couldn't stop thinking of Adam. _Oh, God, Adam_, she thought. She wanted desperately for him to love her, to make love to her.

Chris slowly undressed her, and she reached out to undo his jeans. When they were both completely undressed, Stephanie was panting with anticipation. But she didn't want to look up and see Chris. She crawled onto the bed on all fours and positioned herself, welcoming him. Seconds later, she felt the bed sink ever so slightly with Chris' weight, then she felt him enter her a moment later.

As Chris thrust into her, Stephanie's breath caught in her throat. She shut her eyes tightly, and the image of Adam's face burning in her brain, she returned all the movements, thrust for thrust. It went on and on for fifteen, twenty minutes before Stephanie felt the delicious sensations. She felt as if she could burst as her orgasm approached, and then she cried out loudly.

"Oh, God! Oh, God!" She threw her head back slightly, reveling in the intensity of the climax. "Oh...Adam! _Adam_!" She moved her hips side-to-side, desperately trying to cling to the ecstasy.

"What?!" Chris' voice sounded angry, and he suddenly withdrew from her.

Stephanie glanced over her shoulder.

"Oh, God...oh, please - don't stop," she pleaded desperately.

Chris stooped over to pick up his pants from the floor. Once in them, he stared at Stephanie, a look of rage on his face.

"You called me Adam," he stated.

Stephanie blinked in confusion. She didn't even realize she'd done this.

"Oh, God...Chris...I'm so sorry."

"Why the hell did you call out his name?!"

"I don't...I..." Stephanie faltered on her words, not knowing what to say.

"Damn you, Stephanie McMahon! Are you fucking Adam on the side?"

"No, I'm not, Chris...I _swear_ it." Fear took residence in her mind at that moment. What if Chris didn't believe her? What if he confronted Adam?

"What the fuck is going _on_ between you and him? Why did he attack you tonight?" Chris demanded, gesturing angrily. "You never did tell me..."

"I don't...I...I think it's because of Amy."

"Amy? _What's_ because of Amy?!"

"He was afraid...that is..." Stephanie stuttered. "He thought I would do something to...hurt her."

"Oh, like the way you attacked her all those months ago on RAW? There never _was_ any explanation for that."

"Yeah," Stephanie managed to say. She stared at him, slipping underneath the blankets, as she was cold now that she no longer had the heat of Chris' body against or inside of her.

Chris stared at her, and now he wondered exactly what Adam had meant when he'd spoken those words to him earlier that night.

"_You know, it's a real shame you don't see her for what she_ really _is_..._One of these days, you're going to find out - the_ hard _way_."

Stephanie stared up at him pleadingly.

"Come on, Chris...I'm sorry. Please lay here beside me." She patted the part of the bed beside her.

"You know what? I don't want to," Chris said, his voice even and eyes glued to her. "I'm gonna go get another room..."


	17. Chapter 16

Adam and Amy were discussing how they spent their time apart and their baby when there was a knock at the door. They both realized it must be Jay returning. Adam called, "Come on in, Jay!"

The door opened, and Jay stepped in, Trish behind him and holding onto his hand.

"Everything okay in here?" he asked, surveying his friends.

"Everything's perfect," Adam replied with a smile. He glanced at Amy, who was gazing at him with love in her eyes, a tiny smile on her lips, and squeezed her hand, which he held.

Jay and Trish both smiled.

"That's great, guys!" Trish said. "I'm so glad you two are back together."

"Yeah," Jay agreed. "You both were so miserable without each other."

"Jay, Trish, we just want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You two are such great friends," Adam said.

Amy nodded and concurred, "Yeah, and if it weren't for the two of you, we might not have gotten back together so soon - or at _all_, for that matter."

"You don't have to thank us," Jay said. "We only did what any friends would have done - you would have done the same for us."

Trish said, "You guys - why don't you stay here, and we'll stay in the other room. You two deserve your 'alone' time." She glanced at Jay meaningfully, as she was certain Adam and Amy wanted to "catch up" on the week they'd been apart.

"Thanks," Adam said, smiling knowingly.

After they exchanged goodnights and Trish and Jay left, after Jay grabbed some of his stuff - and after resourceful Trish left Amy a bag with some toiletries and her nightgown, Adam and Amy gazed at each other. They were still sitting on the bed and holding hands.

"I never stopped thinking about you for even a moment," Adam told her.

"I dreamt about you every night we were apart," Amy revealed.

"We have a lot of catching up to do," Adam said softly, a grin spreading across his handsome features. He lifted Amy's hand to his lips and kissed it gently. Afterward, he gently stroked her cheek, smoothing the hair away from it. Amy gazed deeply into his eyes, her heart pounding as Adam tipped her head up with one hand to kiss her softly and passionately on the lips. She gasped in his mouth as his tongue entered hers and pressed against her own. Adam lay back and gently pulled Amy on top of him. She straddled him as they continued kissing, and she moaned as she felt his erection twitching against her groin.

"Mmm...Adam..." Slowly, they began undressing each other, and every kiss, every caress was tender and passionate simultanously. Amy straddled him again and guided Adam's entrance.

As she began to ride him deeply and steadily, finding a synchronic rhythm, he gently pulled her down to him to kiss her lips. She returned all his kisses eagerly, her heart bursting with love and joy. Their lovemaking was so beautiful that tears came to Amy's eyes and dripped down on Adam's chest.

Adam reached up to gently finger her tears and realized that tears of his own were falling down his own cheeks.

"Amy...I love you," he said softly.

They clung to each other as they both came at the same time. Amy moaned, crying out his name, and Adam felt her body shudder with pleasure above him. He grasped her waist and rose his hips slightly off the bed as he came deep inside of her.

When it was over, Amy moved to lay beside Adam and rested her head on his chest. She closed her eyes, feeling more happy than she'd been in a week.

"I love you, Adam," she whispered. The fingers of her left hand caressed his chest.

Adam gently kissed her forehead. "I love you, Amy." He closed his eyes, loving the feeling of her in his arms again after that horrible, lonely week. He smiled. He couldn't believe it - he was going to be a father.


	18. Chapter 17

_One month later, San Francisco, CA_

Stephanie McMahon felt awful. She'd just spent the worst month of her entire life.

First, Chris had decided to back off on her for awhile. He hadn't actually broken up with her, but rather told her he needed a break from her. She honestly didn't see any difference, as she was alone. She and Chris had spoken only a handful of times during the past thirty days, and it killed her inside. Sometime during this period apart, Stephanie had come to the painful realization that she really _did_ love Chris.

And then, a few weeks ago, she had gone to her father with some ideas for the WWF. Despite the threat Adam Copeland had issued to her last month, she'd written lots of new angles in mind concerning Amy Dumas. She'd approached Vince with her ideas, her two favorites being, first, to put Amy in a first blood or hardcore match against the tough Jazz, and the second, to split up Lita and Edge. However, much to Steph's chagrin, Vince had shot down every one of her ideas. She remembered that day bitterly.

_"But Daddy - don't you know that true fans of women's wrestling_ want _to see something like that? A match between two of the toughest and most credible female competitors? Think about the ratings!"_

_"No, Steph...I'm sorry, but that's just not going to work. At least not with Amy in the picture. You see, honey-"_

_Stephanie cut him off. "And we really should end the whole Edge and Lita thing already. If this keeps up much longer, she'll be with him longer than she was with the Hardys."_

_"That's not going to happen, Steph," Vince had stated. "We're not going to split up Edge and Lita, and at the same time, we're not going to be seeing Lita in action for awhile - not even to help Edge out in his matches..."_

_Stephanie started at her father impatiently._

_"...because Amy is pregnant, honey."_

_Stephanie's jaw dropped, and her eyes widened. She felt so shocked that she couldn't even inhale._ Oh, no...please, no... _She gaped at her father as he continued speaking, but all his remaining words were an incoherent blur. Stephanie felt as though she had been dumped into a pool of arctic waters. She was suddenly so numb. Her mind in a haze, she departed from Vince's office._

Now, as she lay curled up on her hotel room bed, she wept bitterly. For three years, she'd dreamt of having Adam's child, and now Amy was doing just that. She dreaded even watching Adam's matches now, as she could read every glance and gaze that passed between him and Amy. She felt sick.

_What did I ever do to deserve this_? she wondered.

Stephanie didn't see any logical reason why she should continue to live. Her life had gone to hell in a handbasket in the span of a month. She felt like she had nothing to live for at this point. Maybe she should do something about it.

Because she had been having such a hard time sleeping over the past month, Stephanie had seen the company doctor. He had prescribed sleeping pills for her. Nobody, not even her father, knew about this. She knew how to end her sorrows and her miserable existence - she would take a bunch of those pills.

--

Chris tossed and turned in his hotel bed. He was physically comfortable, but his mind wouldn't let him rest. He couldn't stop thinking about Stephanie. He missed her terribly. So, she had called out another man's name during sex. Was that really so terrible as to warrant him avoiding her for the past month?

_Of course not_, he told himself.

He knew it all came down to his wounded pride and male ego. Chris didn't want to spend another moment without the woman he loved. He rose from the bed, slipping his feet into the pair of shoes he'd kept at his bedside. Afterward, he went out to the hallway and made his way to Steph's room. When he got there, he knocked softly.

"Stephanie?" he called. "It's me." She didn't respond, so he knocked louder and said, "Steph - open up...it's Chris."

That was when he heard a soft noise from within. It sounded like a whimper.

"Stephanie?" Chris began to panic, as a sixth sense told him that something was very wrong in that room. He began to frantically pound on the door. She never answered. Then, Chris noticed something very odd. A hotel room card key was half-sticking out from under the door. Silently praying, Chris picked it up and tried it. He let out an audible exhalation as the doorknob gave way.

He almost cried at what he saw. Stephanie was sprawled on her side on the bed, facing him, her long dark hair fanned out on the pillow. She looked extremely groggy as her eyelids fluttered ever so slightly. He then noticed the bottle at her side and rushed over. Glancing quickly at the label on the bottle, Chris cursed and tossed it aside. Then, reaching down and picking Stephanie up, he yelled, "No, Steph, no!"

He stood her up and began walking her around the room. She peered at him through slitted eyes, her mouth slightly open.

"Ch-Chris?"

"Damnit, Stephanie!"

Chris was furious and refused to let her overdose. He walked her around for a few more minutes, but she continuously flopped around as he supported her waist, her own arm clumsily over his shoulder.

Chris finally lifted Steph up in his arms and carried her to the bathroom. Setting her on her feet and holding her upright, he turned the cold water on as far as it would go. Then, he picked her up and placed her in the shower directly underneath the icy spray.

Stephanie's unearthly screams echoed loudly in the small room, nearly deafening him. After awhile, she began to cry hysterically.

"I don't want to die, Chris!" she pleaded, gazing up at him with her tearful blue eyes.

Chris stepped into the shower, under the frigid water with her and held her tightly in his arms.

"You're not going to die, Steph...not if _I_ have anything to say about it..."


	19. Chapter 18

Amy grinned at Adam with excitement as they regarded the doctor they'd looked up earlier that day. Because they were still on the road and hadn't been given time off just yet, Amy had located an OB-GYN she'd heard was very good. She had her own gynecologist back home, but she had to get checked out, as she hadn't done so since seeing the company doctor a month earlier.

Dr. Simpson was a warm, African-American woman in her mid-to late-forties who had her own practice in the Bay Area. She had welcomed Amy and Adam genially and had congratulated them after telling them that her nineteen-year-old son was a big WWF fan, and especially a huge Lita fan.

Amy smiled and held tightly to Adam's hand as the doctor was giving her a sonogram. On the tiny screen was an image of the baby, at a little over thirteen weeks. The sound of a tiny, rapid heartbeat resounded throughout the small office.

"Oh, my God..." Adam breathed in amazement as he stared at the picture of his child and heard the heartbeat. His face broke out into a smile that lit up his entire face.

Amy's mouth opened in a tiny O. She couldn't believe that this unbelievable miracle was taking place inside of her. "Wow," she breathed, her eyes glued to the screen.

"Here is the baby's head," Dr. Simpson said, pointing it out to them with her left index finger. Then, turning to them, she gestured. "The baby is this big right now."

Adam mimicked the doctor's hand gestures in awe. "That tiny..." He gazed down at Amy and kissed her on the cheek.

"Do you two want to know the sex of your baby?" Dr. Simpson asked.

"Yes," Amy answered quickly before considering Adam's feelings. A moment later, she turned to face him. "Oh, babe...I'm sorry. Do you want to know?" She rubbed the pad of her thumb over his hand.

Adam thought for a moment while he stared, transfixed, at the monitor. "Nah...I think I'd rather be surprised." He gazed at Amy and then suddenly said, "On the other hand - yeah, why not? If we know the sex now, we can be better prepared when the baby is born."

Amy smiled, reaching up to gently touch Adam's cheek.

"Are you sure, honey?"

"Yes, I'm sure," he replied, smiling at her and then turning to the doctor. "What is it, doc?"

Dr. Simpson smiled warmly. She liked this young couple a lot.

"You're having a boy..."

--

Later, Adam sat in his locker room in The Cow Palace with Jay, as they prepared for their evenings matches on RAW. Adam was clad in his silvery, metallic tights, having gotten dressed early. He was lacing up his wrestling boots when Jay changed into his trademark fishnet shirt.

"So, how did it go?" he asked, and Adam grinned.

"Everything is normal," Adam replied. "And check this out, Jay..." He leaned over to pull something out of his duffel bag. "...this is so amazing. Look at this..." He handed him a photo of the baby in utero.

"Wow," Jay said as he looked it over. "That little tiny thing is really your kid..."

Adam smiled with pride, his large white teeth showing.

"Yup...and Jay - guess what? It's a boy."

Jay looked up and met his best friend's eyes. His face broke out into a devilish smile.

"Well, you know what that means, _Dad_..."

--

At the same time that Adam and Jay were discussing the baby, so were Amy and Trish. They were in their locker room together, both dressed for the upcoming show. Amy's eyes sparkled as she told Trish she and Adam were expecting a little boy.

"I want him to look just like his father, too," she said lovingly. "Blond hair, and those big, dark green eyes..."

Trish smiled. "You know, Amy," she said, "For the life of me, I just can't picture you with a big belly." She looked her friend up and down, and, envisioning it, she started cracking up.

Amy giggled.

"Well, neither can I, but maybe he won't be _too_ big."

"Are you kidding? With _Adam_ as his father?!"

They both laughed. Amy rubbed her stomach, which was still flat, and gazed into the vanity mirror before them.

"I wonder when I'll start to show?"

"Oh, probably not for another couple of months yet," Trish said. Then, changing the subject somewhat, she asked, "So, have you guys been thinking of names?"

"Oh, it's still too early to worry about that," Amy answered. "Although...I have been doing that. There are a few boys' names I really love..."

--

Stephanie sat glumly in a locker room she was sharing with Chris. She was still not feeling like herself, although she vowed she would never again attempt suicide. She had realized that it just wasn't an option.

That night, very discreetly, after Chris had taken her out of that icy shower, he'd rushed her to a hospital. There, she'd had her stomach pumped. Fortunately, all traces of the drug had been expunged from her system.

Luckily, Chris had found her early. She'd never revealed to him that, before going to the bed to take those pills, she had slipped her hotel key under the door. She'd done this at the last moment, almost as an afterthought, somehow sensing that he'd come to her that night. It was then that she'd realized she didn't really want to die but was crying out for help. And Chris had been there for her.

Stephanie was so grateful toward him. He was her savior. If it hadn't been for him...

She was now going through therapy. She had hired a psychologist to travel with the WWF just for her. At first, the man had refused, stating that he couldn't just leave all of his patients to go on the road, but Stephanie had been persistent. She'd pled her case and had made the psychologist a monetary offer he just couldn't refuse. In a lot of ways, it was great being the The Billion Dollar Princess.

Chris stepped into the room, still dripping from his shower. Steph gazed up at him, her eyes never leaving his muscular frame. She thought it sad that it had taken all the turmoil she'd been through to realize she loved him so deeply. However, Stephanie thought that in the long run, it was probably actually all worth it.

They had done a good job of hiding the truth from everyone - even Vince. She'd decided that if her dad ever asked about Dr. Fischer, she would say he was her or Chris' personal trainer. That excuse would work, as the man was very physically fit.

Stephanie now knew that she had a problem with obsession. She did many things obsessively, but her feelings for Adam went way beyond this. She was still heartbroken that she would never have a chance with him, but at least Dr. Fischer could help her. He and Chris had convinced her that she wasn't beyond help.


	20. Chapter 19

_That night, after RAW_

"Adam?" Amy called from their hotel room bed. She was still wearing a pair of black parachute pants and a red belly T-shirt with a cat's face in crossbones and skull, her dress for RAW.

"Hmm?" Adam replied as he emerged from the bathroom. He sat down on the bed beside her, his breath smelling strongly of Colgate toothpaste.

She gazed into his eyes and smiled. "Well," she began, "we should talk about names for the baby. I've been thinking of a few..." Before he could reply, she started giving him a list. "...I like Nicholas, and Ryan, and Justin..."

Adam laughed softly. "Ames," he said, "I have to tell you something in regards to that. It's kind of silly, but serious at the same time." He put one arm around her, holding her close.

As Amy held the eye contact with him, he continued. "See, years ago, Jay and I promised each other that if we ever had sons someday, we would name them after one another - which means we have to name the baby Jason." He swallowed a bit uneasily, hoping that Amy wouldn't get furious, as she wasn't really being given a choice in what to name her own child.

To Adam's surprise, she began to laugh good-naturedly. "Jason Copeland?" she asked. "Okay, let me get this straight - Jay's son, if he ever has one, will be Adam Reso, and our little boy will be Jason Copeland?"

Adam placed one hand gently on Amy's belly. "Yeah, pretty much," he said, a small smile on his face.

Amy's smile broadened. "That's so cute...and I love the name Jason," she admitted.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Come here, you," Adam said, gently pulling Amy closer to him. He laid her back and showered her with kisses on her eyelids, cheeks, the tip of her nose, her lips and neck.

Amy laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down against her. She pulled her head back slightly to gaze up into his deep emerald eyes. He was smiling down at her, and those incredible eyes shone with love. He lowered his head and kissed her again.

Adam moved down the bed so that his head was by her stomach, and he kissed her there. Afterward, he turned his head so that his ear was against her stomach. His soft long hair tickled Amy a little. She closed her eyes and smiled. She felt so great, so loved. In contrast to how terrified she'd been when she'd first suspected she was pregnant, she now felt so excited about the baby. Her relationship with Adam was just about perfect.

As he lay there with his head resting gently on Amy's stomach, a myriad of thoughts whirled through Adam's brain. He loved Amy so much and was thrilled about the baby. There was only one way he could imagine being happier than he was right now...


	21. Chapter 20

_Two weeks later...Boston, Massachussets_

"...and so, you found yourself obsessing over this young man, Adam," Dr. Randall Fischer said.

"Yes," Stephanie admitted. "But I never just obsessed over him. It's not that simple, doctor. I...I _love_ Adam." She blinked nervously, anticipating the man's response.

"But you only went on one date with him..."

"I...know. But I felt something right away. I fell for him, Dr. Fischer."

"Tell me something, Stephanie...," the psychiatrist inquired, "...are you sure you are in love with Adam, or could it be that it is simply the idea of being in love that you are in love with?"

"No, I...oh, hell!" Stephanie rolled her eyes heavenward, frustrated. She threw up her hands and stood up to pace the length of the room. They were in her and Chris' hotel room conducting the session. Chris had gone out for an hour while it occurred.

"Listen to me, doctor," Steph said evenly, her voice tinged with annoyance. "It is not love I am in love with - it is _Adam Copeland_ I am in love with! Why is that so difficult to believe! I fell madly in love with him, and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him! Now, I don't care what you say to dispute this, because I know in my heart that I'm speaking the truth!" She stopped her pacing and turned to stare angrily at the man.

Dr. Fischer remained silent for a full five minutes while he absorbed what she'd said and jotted down notes in his notebook.

Stephanie walked over to the window and parted the drapes slightly to peer outside. She wished she were out there in the sunshine, doing anything other than this. She knew the therapy was necessary for her, but at the same time, there were times when it drove her nearly mad. She hated it when Dr. Fischer patronized her like he was doing right now.

"Stephanie...tell me about Adam's girlfriend. You've never spoken much about her."

Steph turned back toward him and sneered. She still felt nothing but hostility toward Amy. Scowling, she spat, "His girlfriend's name is Amy, and I can't stand her!"

"That's understandable," the doctor interjected. "She's with the man you love..."

"Exactly! Now you're getting it, Dr. Fischer!" She paused, catching her breath. After a moment, Stephanie said, "Amy Dumas...that's her name. I swear, I thought I was going to pass out when my dad told me she was pregnant with Adam's baby! She's already something like three months along, and rumor has it they're expecting a boy..."

The doctor eyed her silently, occasionally jotting more notes.

"...Why did this have to happen?" Stephanie whined. "_Why_?" She started choking up, tears threatening to escape her blue eyes. "Well, I know why it happened, but...oh, damnit, you know what I mean, doctor!" She looked at him imploringly. "When I found out about this baby, I just wanted to die! In fact," she revealed, "I even tried to take my own life...before, I hated that Adam was with Amy and seemed to be so much in love with her, but - but now it all seems even more _real_, you know? A baby! That's going to make them a family!"

"Yes, it is," Dr. Fischer agreed, nodding.

"Do you know what I want to do?" Steph asked, a maniacal gleam in her eyes. "I really want to do something to Amy - hurt her bad! Like I did after the first month she moved in on Adam! I want to scratch her eyes out, pull the hair off her head! I want to make her bleed, like I did back then! And that's not all, doctor...I have dreams about stealing her baby from the hospital and raising it as my own! I would have Adam's child - that way, it would make me feel more like I had his baby myself."

"That would not be a wise idea, Stephanie," Fischer said. "The things you've just talked about involve assault and kidnapping. Those are not options."

"I didn't say I would actually _do_ those things!" Steph snapped. "I only said I've thought and dreamt about it!"

The psychiatrist looked up into Stephanie's blue, piercing gaze, thinking how much of an angry and disturbed young woman she really was. He had to do everything in his power to ensure that she would never, ever act upon any of her delusional fantasies.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later, Stephanie and Chris lounged in the moderately-sized hotel dining room. Discreetly, in sotto voce, Steph discussed her afternoon's therapy session.

"I know Dr. Fischer is right, Chris," she said with despair. "I have an obsessive personality, and I shouldn't want to hurt Amy, and I shouldn't have these feelings for Adam...I..." She paused and gazed deeply into the twin pools of crystal blue that were Chris' eyes. She was amazed that Chris had stuck by her after all this, that he still loved her and wanted to be with her.

Chris grasped and squeezed her left hand. "It's okay, Steph...we'll get through this - _together_." His expression was serious, then serene and full of love. "Maybe we can ask Vince for time off, get away from things - go on a vacation for a week or two."

Stephanie nodded. "I'd like that." She managed a weak smile, which faded as she caught sight of Adam and Amy out of the corner of her eye. They had just come in and were being seated by the hostess at a table across the room from them. She watched sadly as the pair whose love was the envy of many on the roster reluctantly released hands to sit down.

Chris' eyes followed Stephanie's, and he couldn't help feeling a twinge of jealousy when he saw Adam - why couldn't Steph look at _him_ like that, or like how Amy gazed at Adam? What did Adam have that he didn't that made him so special to Stephanie?


	22. Chapter 21

Amy glanced worriedly past Adam's shoulder, feeling a chill as she caught the intense gaze of Stephanie McMahon. Normally, she would not be in the least afraid of the boss' daughter, but now that she was pregnant, she _was_. Stephanie had proven in the not-so-distant past to be capable of anything.

"What's wrong, babe?" Adam turned slightly and glanced over his shoulder. He saw Stephanie and Chris looking their way. "Do you want to go somewhere else, Amy?" he asked when he turned back to face her.

"No...no, I'll be okay." She felt famished and picked up her menu.

A few minutes later, Jay and Trish came into the dining room to join them. Adam waved them over.

"Hey," Jay greeted.

"Hey," Adam replied as Trish and Jay sat down. He and Jay exchanged knowing smiles.

"We've got a whole day off tomorrow," Trish exclaimed happily. "What are we going to do to celebrate it?"

"We'll figure something out," Adam said. "But me and Jay are gonna go out for awhile after lunch."

"Where?" Amy questioned, as this was the first time she was hearing of this.

"Nowhere special - just some guy stuff," he replied mysteriously. He and Jay again exchanged glances.

"Hmm..." Amy wondered as she regarded Adam suspiciously. She glanced at Trish, then at Jay and back at Adam, but none of the blonds' faces revealed anything.

----------

_The next afternoon..._

Adam left Amy just outside of the hotel's dining room after they finished lunch. He'd given her a hug and kiss and promised he'd be back to do something fun with her in two hours tops. Amy hadn't asked him where he and Jay were going, but the question marks in her eyes had been more than evident.

Adam walked out into the northern California sun and clouds, pushing his dark sunglasses down over his eyes. He spotted Jay leaning up against his rental car, waiting for him, his arms crossed. After their usual best buddies greeting, Adam unlocked the doors and they got in.

As he started the engine and pulled away from the curb, Adam smiled and said, "So far, everything's going as planned...Amy doesn't suspect a thing." Actually, that wasn't true. Adam mentally acknowledged that Amy had been very curious but merely hadn't asked him what was up since yesterday. When he hadn't divulged any information, she'd stopped asking.

"Cool," Jay said with a nod of his head.

Adam glanced over at him for a moment. "Maybe you shouldn't have said anything to Trish, Jay...You know how close she and Amy are...Are you sure she won't let the cat out of the bag?"

"Nah, Trish is good at keeping secrets," Jay replied. "Look at how she was that week you and Amy were apart - she knew about the baby, but did she tell you anything? Hell, she didn't even tell _me_." He pushed down the sun visor in front of him and checked his reflection in the vanity mirror.

"True, true," Adam said. "Okay, I trust Trish to keep this little secret."

"So, do you have any idea of what you're gonna get?"

"I don't know...I'll know when I see it," Adam said.


	23. Chapter 22

Stephanie made her way to her father's executive suite, bracing herself. As she'd told Chris, she'd decided to talk to Vince herself to ask him for a vacation. She knew she needed it. And as reluctant as she was to tell her father the truth about her mental state and therapy, she felt she might just tell him if she had to.

After she knocked on the twin oak doors, she held her breath.

"It's open, honey," Vince called from within. He knew it was Steph, as she'd called his suite in advance for a quick meeting.

Stephanie turned the knob and nervously pushed her way into the large suite. She didn't bother glancing around, as she had but one purpose.

"Hi, Daddy...as I said before, I really need to ask you something."

"Of course, Steph...sit down, get comfortable."

Stephanie perched on the very edge of a green velvet princess chair, her stomach doing nervous flips. She really didn't want her father to know about the last few months - even years.

"Well, Daddy," she began, "Chris and I were talking it over, and we decided that I - that _we_ - should maybe take a little break - get away for awhile..." She tucked some of her long brown hair behind her left ear.

"You mean a vacation?" Vince eyed her speculatively.

"Yeah, a vacation. Would that be okay? I really need a break, Dad...and Chris has been so good in helping me-" Stephanie cut off her own words, realizing she'd said too much. She'd promised herself she was only going to give him more information if he asked for it.

"Helping you to do what, Steph?"

_Damn_, Stephanie cursed herself. Now she had no choice. However, maybe she could give him an abbreviated version.

"Oh, Daddy...I'm on the brink of a nervous breakdown!" she cried. "And Dr. Fischer is not a personal trainer - he's my therapist."

Vince eyed his daughter, no hint of surprise registering on his face. After a moment, he nodded. "Very well, honey...you and Chris can have next week off. If you need a second week off as well, be sure to call me on my cell phone to let me know in advance..."

After spending two hours of quality time and a friendly cup of coffee with her father, Stephanie returned to Chris. She told him about the two of them being granted a week, even two if she needed it, off.

Now, they were out together for a walk in the warm sunshine, the day pleasantly fragrant of the state's flowers.

Stephanie and Chris strolled hand-in-hand, enjoying the scenery but mostly each other's company.

"Where should we go on vacation?" Chris asked. "How about Hawaii?"

Stephanie abruptly stopped walking and turned to face him. "I don't care where I am as long as I'm with you," she said profoundly, gazing deep and long into his crystal blue eyes.

Chris smiled as he gazed back at her, his eyes never wavering from hers. He started to speak, but Steph placed one finger on his lips to silence him.

"Shh...I'm not finished...Chris, I want you to know how grateful I am for everything you've done for me. You've been there and chose to stand by me after all the terrible things I've done. A lesser man would have walked out of my life and never looked back. And through everything," Stephanie said, "you've managed to maintain your dignity..." She moved slightly closer to him and squeezed the hand she held in her own. "...And I love you, Chris Irvine..."

Chris' handsome face broadened into a smile that went all the way up to his bright blue eyes. "That's all I ever wanted to hear from you, Steph," he said, a warm, fuzzy feeling in the bottom of his stomach. "I love you, too." He wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace and kissed her.


	24. Chapter 23

_The following week, Phoenix, Arizona, RAW is War_

Adam was nervous but excited at the same time as he sat in the locker room waiting for his time to appear. He periodically checked his watch, as he was wearing his street clothes tonight. He didn't have a match scheduled until tomorrow's SmackDown taping.

"Hey, calm down, man," Jay said as he slapped a friendly hand against Adam's shoulder. "Everything'll be fine."

"I know," he replied. "I'm just anxious, that's all."

Jay chuckled. "Well, that's only natural."

Adam glanced at his watch for what he thought had to be the hundredth time in the past half-hour. "It's almost time," he said. "I'd better go meet Amy now."

"Okay," Jay said. "Trish and I will be watching back here, rooting you on...good luck, Adam." He smiled and gave him a thumbs-up sign.

"Thanks," Adam said, exhaling a deep breath. He went out to the hallway, nearly colliding into Amy, who had just approached the door. Her arm was raised, fist poised to knock.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, laughing. "Ready, babe? We're almost on."

"Yup, I'm ready."

They had about five minutes to spare. They walked together to the curtain by the ramp to wait.

Amy gazed up at Adam lovingly and grasped his hand. She noticed that he looked pretty nervous. _Well, it isn't every day you challenge the WWF champion to a title shot_, she thought.

Adam ran his free hand through his silky golden locks. I'm not going to choke up out there, he promised himself as he gazed fondly at Amy.

Before he knew it, a stage hand came and directed them to go out to the arena. As Adam heard the opening line of his theme song blaring - "_You think you know me..._" - he pushed his way through the curtain, Amy at his side.

Lilian Garcia's voice rang loud and clear. "From Toronto, Canada, making his way to the ring, being accompanied by Lita - Edge!"

As they got closer to the ring, Adam stepped in front of Amy so that he was on the apron first. He put out his hand for her, and she took it, and he held the ropes open for her so she could enter first.

Adam glanced over at Lilian and reached out to take the microphone from her. She handed it to him, and he waited patiently until his music stopped playing. Amy stood nearby and watched him as he surveyed the crowd and then turned to face her. He gave her a warm, loving smile before lifting the mic up to his lips.

"You know something? I'm at a point in my life where I want to take chances...I'm a very lucky man." He surveyed the crowd, then turned to gaze intensely at Amy. He pushed his dark sunglasses up over his eyes and he stared at her. She gazed back at him curiously.

Adam continued, glancing out at the audience. "I came out here tonight claiming that I was going to issue a challenge to Triple H to face him for a title shot, but that's not the case." He focused his gaze back on Amy. "But in reality, I came out here to ask _you_ something..."

Amy's eyes widened slightly as she gazed at Adam quizzically. She had no idea what he was talking about.

Taking hold of Amy's left hand, Adam lowered himself to one knee in the center of the ring. As Amy realized what he was about to do, she gasped softly in surprise and clapped her free hand against her mouth. She mouthed, "_Oh, my God_" as she felt her eyes beginning to well up with tears. The fans began to respond to Adam's gesture as well with shouts and screams and applause.

"Amy," Adam said, getting out of character, as he was about to do the most important thing of his life, "I have never loved anyone as much as I love you...You have made me the happiest man alive, but you can make me even happier..."

Amy wept silently as she gazed down at him. She couldn't believe this, had never expected it. She felt that she had never loved this man more than she did at that very moment.

Adam reached into one of his pants pockets and pulled out a diamond ring. "...Amy, will you marry me?"

"Oh, my God," she exclaimed softly, the tears running freely down her cheeks. She was practically speechless and had never felt so surprised as she was at that moment. "Yes, of course I'll marry you, Adam," she cried.

Adam slipped the diamond onto her finger and stood up to hug her as his face broke out into a broad grin. Amy laughed, her tears still flowing, as she held tightly to him, the fans applauding and roaring their approval.

"I love you," Adam said, his face close to hers as he held her back slightly to gaze into her eyes. He lowered his head to kiss her, and she kissed him back with all her heart and soul.

------------------------------------------------------------

"Alright!" Jay said with approval from his spot in front of one of the TV monitors in the locker room backstage. He gestured happily as he watched his friends get engaged on live national television. Then, glancing over at Trish, who was standing at his side, he squeezed her hand in his. She smiled warmly back at him.

"That's so beautiful," she said. "It's so great to see them so happy...That is so wonderful."

"Yeah," Jay agreed. "Adam is such a lucky guy." He gazed at Trish. "And so am I." He enveloped her in an embrace and kissed her tenderly. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back fervently.

------------------------------------------------------------

Later that night, in their hotel room, Adam and Amy made love. Afterward, they lay spent in one another's arms. Amy lay her head on Adam's muscular chest, listening to his strong and steady heartbeat.

She felt like she was in heaven. Was this all a dream? _No_, she thought as she childishly reached out to pinch her left arm. She was so happy. She was going to be married to the man she loved, and she was having his child. Life couldn't be more perfect.

Adam gently fingered her face, gently caressing her cheek, chin and lips. "Penny for your thoughts," he said with a smile, his green eyes sparkling happily as he moved his hand to her right arm and fingered her massive tattoo.

Amy smiled. "I was just thinking about how I'm the luckiest girl in the world...I love you, Adam Copeland." She leaned over until her lips were on his and they were kissing deep and passionately. Afterward, she lay her head back on his chest.

Adam put his arm around her waist and snuggled closer to her. "I love you, too," he said dreamily. He was so happy. Soon, they both fell asleep, content in one another's arms and in their solid, unbreakable love.

_End_


	25. Alternate Ending 1

_One month later, San Francisco, CA_

Stephanie McMahon felt awful. She'd just spent the worst month of her entire life, and it infuriated her to no end. She felt she could go mad if it all continued.

First, Chris had decided to back off on her for awhile. He hadn't actually broken up with her, but rather told her he needed a break from her. She honestly didn't see any difference, as she was alone. She and Chris had spoken only a handful of times during the past thirty days, and it bothered her. Sometime during this period apart, Stephanie had come to the realization that she needed Chris. She had grown to depend on him, though she certainly didn't find him addictive, like she found Adam.

And then, a few weeks ago, she had gone to her father with some ideas for the WWF. Despite the threat Adam Copeland had issued to her last month, she'd written lots of new angles in mind concerning Amy Dumas.

She'd approached Vince with her ideas, her two favorites being, first, to put Amy in a first blood or hardcore match against the tough Jazz, and the second, to split up Lita and Edge. However, much to Steph's chagrin, Vince had shot down every one of her ideas. She remembered that day bitterly.

_"But Daddy - don't you know that true fans of women's wrestling want to see something like that? A match between two of the toughest and most credible female competitors? Think about the ratings!"_

_"No, Steph...I'm sorry, but that's just not going to work. At least not with_ Amy _in the picture. You see, honey-"_

_Stephanie cut him off. "And we really should end the whole Edge and Lita thing already. If this keeps up much longer, she'll be with him longer than she was with the Hardys."_

_"That's not going to happen, Steph," Vince had stated. "We're not going to split up Edge and Lita, and at the same time, we're not going to be seeing Lita in action for awhile - not even to help Edge out in his matches..."_

_Stephanie started at her father impatiently._

_"...because Amy is pregnant, honey."_

_Stephanie's jaw dropped, and her eyes widened. She felt so shocked that she couldn't even inhale._ Oh, no..._please_, no...

_She gaped at her father as he continued speaking, but all his remaining words were an incoherent blur. Stephanie felt as though she had been dumped into a pool of arctic waters. She was suddenly so numb. Her mind in a haze, she departed from Vince's office._

Now, as she lay curled up on her hotel room bed, she wept bitterly. For three years, she'd dreamt of having Adam's child, and now Amy was doing just that.

She dreaded even watching Adam's matches now, as she could read every glance and gaze that passed between him and Amy. She felt sick. _What did I ever do to deserve this_? she wondered.

Stephanie's anguish suddenly turned into fury. She sat up in bed, her breathing fast, her vision clouded red. She felt like she had no control over her life anymore. Maybe she should do something about it.

She rose from the bed quickly, her blood throbbing in her temples. An inhuman snarl that evolved into a furious cry escaped her lips as she flung out her arm and knocked over a vase full of flowers. She grabbed a pillow and tossed it against the wall as hard as she could manage.

"No more!" she shouted, enraged beyond her boiling point. She lifted one foot and proceeded to stomp on the fallen vase. As it shattered to pieces, her mind began to work furiously as she devised a loose plan.

----------------------------------

Chris tossed and turned in his hotel bed. He was physically comfortable, but his mind wouldn't let him rest. He couldn't stop thinking about Stephanie.

He missed her terribly. So, she had called out another man's name during sex. Was that really so terrible as to warrant him avoiding her for the past month? _Of course not_, he told himself. He knew it all came down to his wounded pride and male ego.

Chris didn't want to spend another moment without the woman he loved. He rose from the bed, slipping his feet into the pair of shoes he'd kept at his bedside. Afterward, he went out to the hallway and made his way to Steph's room.

When he got there, he knocked softly. "Stephanie?" he called. "It's me."

She didn't respond, so he knocked louder and said, "Steph - open up...it's Chris." He could hear no sounds coming from within. Maybe she wasn't even there?

"Stephanie?"

Suddenly, Chris noticed something very odd. A hotel room card key was half-sticking out from under the door. Silently praying, Chris picked it up and tried it. He let out an audible exhalation as the doorknob gave way.

He was shocked at what he saw. Stephanie was nowhere in sight, but the room had been almost completely trashed. He gaped at the pillows and blanket lying discarded in separate heaps on the floor, the flowers scattered all over, shards of a broken vase, garbage from the waste basket strewn all over, and even an overturned chair.

Thinking that Stephanie could not possibly have been the culprit of the havoc, Chris nearly panicked. An intruder must have burst into her room and done this. He suddenly recalled how Adam Copeland had brutally manhandled her last month in her office, that maniacal gleam in his eye.

"Ch-Chris?"

He turned his head in the direction of the bathroom - that was where her voice had come from. He ran to the open door and peered inside. Though Stephanie was crying, Chris was relieved that she didn't appear to be hurt.

She was sitting on the floor in one corner, her back against the wall tiles, long legs bent in front of her, her hands clasped around her knees. She looked like a lost, distraught little girl as she stared up at him in the semi-darkness.

"I want to die, Chris!" she cried, gazing up at him with her tearful blue eyes.

Chris stepped into the bathroom, sat on the floor next to her and held her tightly in his arms. "I'm here for you now...I'm here..." He hugged her against his chest as she sobbed hysterically.


	26. Alternate Ending 2

Amy grinned at Adam with excitement as they regarded the doctor they'd looked up earlier that day.

Because they were still on the road and hadn't been given time off just yet, Amy had located an OB-GYN she'd heard was very good. She had her own gynecologist back home, but she had to get checked out, as she hadn't done so since seeing the company doctor a month earlier.

Dr. Simpson was a warm, African-American woman in her mid-to late-forties who had her own practice in the Bay Area. She had welcomed Amy and Adam genially and had congratulated them after telling them that her nineteen-year-old son was a big WWF fan, and especially a huge Lita fan.

Amy smiled and held tightly to Adam's hand as the doctor was giving her a sonogram. On the tiny screen was an image of the baby, at a little over thirteen weeks. The sound of a tiny, rapid heartbeat resounded throughout the small office.

"Oh, my God..." Adam breathed in amazement as he stared at the picture of his child and heard the heartbeat. His face broke out into a smile that lit up his entire face.

Amy's mouth opened in a tiny O. She couldn't believe that this unbelievable miracle was taking place inside of her. "Wow," she breathed, her eyes glued to the screen.

"Here is the baby's head," Dr. Simpson said, pointing it out to them with her left index finger. Then, turning to them, she gestured. "The baby is this big right now."

Adam mimicked the doctor's hand gestures in awe. "That tiny..." He gazed down at Amy and kissed her on the cheek.

"Do you two want to know the sex of your baby?" Dr. Simpson asked.

"Yes," Amy answered quickly before considering Adam's feelings. A moment later, she turned to face him. "Oh, babe...I'm sorry. Do you want to know?" She rubbed the pad of her thumb over his hand.

Adam thought for a moment while he stared, transfixed, at the monitor. "Nah...I think I'd rather be surprised." He gazed at Amy and then suddenly said, "On the other hand - yeah, why not? If we know the sex now, we can be better prepared when the baby is born."

Amy smiled, reaching up to gently touch Adam's cheek. "Are you sure, honey?"

"Yes, I'm sure," he replied, smiling at her and then turning to the doctor. "What is it, doc?"

Dr. Simpson smiled warmly. She liked this young couple a lot. "You're having a boy..."

*

Later, Adam sat in his locker room in The Cow Palace with Jay, as they prepared for their evenings matches on RAW.

Adam was clad in his silvery, metallic tights, having gotten dressed early. He was lacing up his wrestling boots when Jay changed into his trademark fishnet shirt.

"So, how did it go?" he asked, and Adam grinned.

"Everything is normal," Adam replied. "And check this out, Jay..." He leaned over to pull something out of his duffel bag. "...this is so amazing. Look at this..." He handed him a photo of the baby in utero.

"Wow," Jay said as he looked it over. "That little tiny thing is really your kid..."

Adam smiled with pride, his large white teeth showing. "Yup...and Jay - guess what? It's a boy."

Jay looked up and met his best friend's eyes. His face broke out into a devilish smile. "Well, you know what that means, Dad..."

*

At the same time that Adam and Jay were discussing the baby, so were Amy and Trish. They were in their locker room together, both dressed for the upcoming show.

Amy's eyes sparkled as she told Trish she and Adam were expecting a little boy. "I want him to look just like his father, too," she said lovingly. "Blond hair, and those big, dark greenish eyes..."

Trish smiled. "You know, Amy," she said, "For the life of me, I just can't picture you with a big belly." She looked her friend up and down, and, envisioning it, she started cracking up.

Amy giggled. "Well, neither can I, but maybe he won't be too big."

"Are you kidding? With Adam as his father?!" They both laughed.

Amy rubbed her stomach, which was still flat, and gazed into the vanity mirror before them. "I wonder when I'll start to show?"

"Oh, probably not for another couple of months yet," Trish said. Then, changing the subject somewhat, she asked, "So, have you guys been thinking of names?"

"Oh, it's still too early to worry about that," Amy answered. "Although...I have been doing that. There are a few boys' names I really love..."

*

Stephanie sat glumly in a locker room she was sharing with Chris. She was still feeling horrible, thoughts of violence plaguing her. She had visions of Adam and Amy and felt the rage building inside of her. She wanted to hurt someone - and badly. She thought she might do anything to get Adam.

That night, very discreetly, after Chris had taken her out of that lonely bathroom, he'd called room service about the horrible mess in the room. He'd lied and said that it had been ramshacked by an intruder while Stephanie had been out. Luckily, no questions had been asked.

Chris had mentioned the room key under the door to her, and Stephanie had been surprised. She'd told him she must have accidentally dropped it and never realized it.

Chris stepped into the room, still dripping from his shower. Steph gazed up at him, her eyes never leaving his muscular frame. She desperately tried to imagine Adam coming from that shower, Adam's face - Adam's hair - Adam's eyes - Adam's perfectly sculpted pecs and abs. Her mouth actually began to water as she continued fantasizing about him. If she'd been alone in the room, she probably would have been masturbating at this point. Fortunately, Chris was completely oblivious to the fact that she was thinking only of Adam and never noticed.

Stephanie knew that she had to do something, and soon - the sooner the better. Her feelings for Adam went way beyond merely an innocent interest in him. She was still heartbroken over the way he'd treated her the previous month, but vowed things would not end there, and that she would make him notice her - and _want_ her. Or she might even die trying.

_That night, after RAW..._

"Adam?" Amy called from their hotel room bed. She was still wearing a pair of black parachute pants and a red belly T-shirt with a cat's face in crossbones and skull, her dress for RAW.

"Hmm?" Adam replied as he emerged from the bathroom. He sat down on the bed beside her, his breath smelling strongly of Colgate toothpaste.

She gazed into his eyes and smiled. "Well," she began, "we should talk about names for the baby. I've been thinking of a few..." Before he could reply, she started giving him a list. "...I like Nicholas, and Ryan, and Justin..."

Adam laughed softly. "Ames," he said, "I have to tell you something in regards to that. It's kind of silly, but serious at the same time." He put one arm around her, holding her close.

As Amy held the eye contact with him, he continued. "See, years ago, Jay and I promised each other that if we ever had sons someday, we would name them after one another - which means we have to name the baby Jason." He swallowed a bit uneasily, hoping that Amy wouldn't get furious, as she wasn't really being given a choice in what to name her own child.

To Adam's surprise, she began to laugh good-naturedly. "Jason Copeland?" she asked. "Okay, let me get this straight - Jay's son, if he ever has one, will be Adam Reso, and our little boy will be Jason Copeland?"

Adam placed one hand gently on Amy's belly. "Yeah, pretty much," he said, a small smile on his face.

Amy's smile broadened. "That's so cute...and I love the name Jason," she admitted.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Come here, you," Adam said, gently pulling Amy closer to him. He laid her back and showered her with kisses on her eyelids, cheeks, the tip of her nose, her lips and neck.

Amy laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down against her. She pulled her head back slightly to gaze up into his deep green eyes. He was smiling down at her, and those incredible eyes shone with love. He lowered his head and kissed her again.

Adam moved down the bed so that his head was by her stomach, and he kissed her there. Afterward, he turned his head so that his ear was against her stomach. His soft long hair tickled Amy a little. She closed her eyes and smiled. She felt so great, so loved. In contrast to how terrified she'd been when she'd first suspected she was pregnant, she now felt so excited about the baby. Her relationship with Adam was just about perfect.

As he lay there with his head resting gently on Amy's stomach, a myriad of thoughts whirled through Adam's brain. He loved Amy so much and was thrilled about the baby. There was only one way he could imagine being happier than he was right now...


	27. Alternate Ending 3

_Two weeks later... Boston, Massachusets_

"...and so, you found yourself obsessing over this young man, Adam," Dr. Randall Fischer said.

"Yes," Stephanie admitted to her personal therapist. She'd been having secret sessions with the man for the past couple of months. "But I never just obsessed over him. It's not that simple, doctor. I...I _love_ Adam." She blinked nervously, anticipating the man's response.

"But you only went on one date with him..."

"I...know. But I felt something right away. I fell for him, Dr. Fischer."

"Tell me something, Stephanie..." the psychiatrist inquired, "...are you sure you are in love with Adam, or could it be that it is simply the idea of being in love that you are in love with?"

"No, I...oh, hell!" Stephanie rolled her eyes heavenward, frustrated. She threw up her hands and stood up to pace the length of the room. They were in her and Chris' hotel room conducting the session. Chris had gone out for an hour while it occurred.

"Listen to me, doctor," Steph said evenly, her voice tinged with annoyance. "It is not love I am in love with - it is _Adam Copeland_ I am in love with! Why is that so difficult to believe? I fell madly in love with him, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him! Now, I don't care what you say to dispute this, because it's the truth!" She stopped her pacing and turned to stare angrily at the man.

Dr. Fischer remained silent for a full five minutes while he absorbed what she'd said and jotted down notes in his notebook.

Stephanie walked over to the window and parted the drapes slightly to peer outside. She wished she were out there in the sunshine, doing anything other than this. She knew the therapy was necessary for her, but at the same time, there were times when it drove her nearly mad. She hated it when Dr. Fischer patronized her like he was doing right now.

"Stephanie...tell me about Adam's girlfriend. You've never spoken much about her."

Steph turned back toward him and sneered. She still felt nothing but hostility toward Amy. Scowling, she spat, "His girlfriend's name is Amy, and I can't stand her!"

"That's understandable," the doctor interjected. "She's with the man you love..."

"Exactly! Now you're getting it, Dr. Fischer!" She paused, catching her breath. After a moment, Stephanie said, "Amy Dumas...that's her name. She's a worthless, good-for-nothing bitch! Nothing but trash! I swear, I thought I was going to pass out when my dad told me she was pregnant with Adam's baby! She's already something like three months along, and rumor has it they're expecting a boy..."

The doctor eyed her silently, occasionally jotting more notes.

"...Why did this have to happen?" Stephanie whined. "_Why_?" She started choking up, tears of anger and frustration threatening to escape her blue eyes. "Well, I know why it happened, but...oh, damnit, you know what I mean, doctor!" She looked at him imploringly. "When I found out about this baby, I just wanted to die! Before, I hated that Adam was with Amy and seemed to be so much in love with her, but - but now it all seems even more real, you know? A baby! That's going to make them a _family_!"

"Yes, it is," Dr. Fischer agreed, nodding.

"Do you know what I want to do?" Steph asked, a maniacal gleam in her eyes. "I really want to do something to Amy - hurt her bad! Like I did after the first month she moved in on Adam! I want to scratch her eyes out, pull the hair off her head! I want to make her bleed, like I did back then! And that's not all, doctor...I have dreams about stealing her baby from the hospital and raising it as my own! I would have Adam's child - that way, it would make me feel more like I had his baby myself."

"That would not be a wise idea, Stephanie," Fischer said. "The things you've just talked about involve assault and kidnapping. Those are not options."

"I didn't say I would actually _do_ those things!" Steph snapped. "I only said I've thought and dreamt about it!" _Yeah, that's it_, she told herself. _What he doesn't know won't hurt him_...

The psychiatrist looked up into Stephanie's blue, piercing gaze, thinking how much of an angry and disturbed young woman she really was. He sensed that she was perfectly capable of committing acts of violence. He had to do everything in his power to ensure that she would never, ever act upon any of her delusional fantasies.

*

Later, Stephanie and Chris lounged in the moderately-sized hotel dining room. Discreetly, in sotto voce, Steph discussed her afternoon's therapy session.

"I don't want to see Dr. Fischer anymore, Chris," she said softly. "I don't care what he says. _He's_ working for _me_! Next time I see him..." She paused and gazed deeply into the twin pools of crystal blue that were Chris' eyes. She was amazed that Chris had stuck by her after all this, that he still loved her and wanted to be with her. If the shoe were on the other foot, she could never imagine herself where he now was.

Chris grasped and squeezed her left hand. "It's okay, Steph...we'll get through this - _together_." His expression was serious, then serene and full of love. "If you think you don't need him anymore, tell him."

Stephanie nodded. "I'll do that." She managed a weak smile, which faded as she caught sight of Adam and Amy out of the corner of her eye. They had just come in and were being seated by the hostess at a table across the room from them. She watched sadly as the pair whose love was the envy of many on the roster reluctantly released hands to sit down.

Chris' eyes followed Stephanie's, and he couldn't help feeling a twinge of jealousy when he saw Adam - why couldn't Steph look at _him_ like that, or like how Amy gazed at Adam? What did Adam have that he didn't that made him so special to Stephanie?


	28. Alternate Ending 4

Amy glanced worriedly past Adam's shoulder, feeling a chill as she caught the intense gaze of Stephanie McMahon. Normally, she would not be in the least afraid of the boss' daughter, but now that she was pregnant, she was. Stephanie had proven in the not-so-distant past to be capable of anything.

"What's wrong, babe?" Adam turned slightly and glanced over his shoulder. He saw Stephanie and Chris looking their way. "Do you want to go somewhere else, Amy?" he asked when he turned back to face her.

"No...no, I'll be okay." She felt famished and picked up her menu.

A few minutes later, Jay and Trish came into the dining room to join them. Adam waved them over.

"Hey," Jay greeted.

"Hey," Adam replied as Trish and Jay sat down. He and Jay exchanged knowing smiles.

"We've got a whole day off tomorrow," Trish exclaimed happily. "What are we going to do to celebrate it?"

"We'll figure something out," Adam said. "But me and Jay are gonna go out for awhile after lunch."

"Where?" Amy questioned, as this was the first time she was hearing of this.

"Nowhere special - just some guy stuff," he replied mysteriously. He and Jay again exchanged glances.

"Hmm..." Amy wondered as she regarded Adam suspiciously. She glanced at Trish, then at Jay and back at Adam, but none of the blonds' faces revealed anything.

*

_The next afternoon..._

Adam left Amy just outside of the hotel's dining room after they finished lunch. He'd given her a hug and kiss and promised he'd be back to do something fun with her in two hours tops. Amy hadn't asked him where he and Jay were going, but the question marks in her eyes had been more than evident.

Adam walked out into the northern California sun and clouds, pushing his dark sunglasses down over his eyes. He spotted Jay leaning up against his rental car, waiting for him, his arms crossed. After their usual best buddies greeting, Adam unlocked the doors and they got in.

As he started the engine and pulled away from the curb, Adam smiled and said, "So far, everything's going as planned...Amy doesn't suspect a thing." Actually, that wasn't true. Adam mentally acknowledged that Amy had been very curious but merely hadn't asked him what was up since yesterday. When he hadn't divulged any information, she'd stopped asking.

"Cool," Jay said with a nod of his head.

Adam glanced over at him for a moment. "Maybe you shouldn't have said anything to Trish, Jay...You know how close she and Amy are...Are you sure she won't let the cat out of the bag?"

"Nah, Trish is good at keeping secrets," Jay replied. "Look at how she was that week you and Amy were apart - she knew about the baby, but did she tell you anything? Hell, she didn't even tell _me_." He pushed down the sun visor in front of him and checked his reflection in the vanity mirror.

"True, true," Adam said. "Okay, I trust Trish to keep this little secret."

"So, do you have any idea of what you're gonna get?"

"I don't know...I'll know when I see it," Adam said.


	29. Alternate Ending 5

_SmackDown taping, Washington State_

Stephanie stalked the hallways of the arena, the wheels of her mind in constant motion.

She was thinking about her last session with Dr. Fischer. She fumed inwardly as she recalled the way the man had patronized her about love, and about her feelings for Adam.

When the session had ended, Steph had declared that she would no longer need the psychologist's services. Naturally, Fischer had attempted to change her mind and tried to convince her that it wasn't a good idea - that in his "professional opinion," it would benefit her to continue with him. Of course he would say that - he didn't want to lose a job, and, with it, the big bucks she paid him every time they met.

He hadn't swayed her. Stephanie had coldly refused. She was sorry she hadn't told the man to go fuck himself after everything he'd said to her - after he'd completely belittled her feelings for Adam.

She stared at the closed door of the locker room she was suddenly standing before. She blinked and turned her head from left to right. Nobody was around.

Holding her breath, Stephanie turned the doorknob and pushed her way into the locker room that Adam and Jay were sharing for the night. She knew neither of them were inside - she'd seen Jay a few minutes ago with Trish the bitch and Adam was due for his match in ten to fifteen minutes.

Steph knew she was taking a bit of a risk entering this locker room. She hadn't dared attempt such a thing since last month. But after what had happened - after the "shower incident," as she thought of it, she had to be careful.

Stephanie glanced around the room. A pair of Adam's wrestling tights lay on the back of a chair. They were platinum ones with black designs and "Edge" printed on the legs. She felt drawn to them and picked them up, rubbing the glossy fabric against her skin. She caressed the crotch, envisioning Adam wearing them while she did this.

"Oh, Adam," she whispered sadly. "Just let me love you..." She continued rubbing the tights against her face, lovingly stroking her cheek against them, her eyes closed. She felt as though she might cry as she continued to envision Adam there.

Stephanie lingered in the room so long that she didn't keep track of the amount of time she was there. She was still holding onto Adam's tights when she suddenly became aware of voices directly outside the door.

She nearly panicked, her jaw dropping, mouth open wide. Steph quickly glanced around the small room, seeking a place to hide. _Oh, God_, she thought. She recognized the voices as being Adam and Amy's. Adam's match must have just ended, and they were heading back.

Stephanie nearly ran to the showers but told herself she was a sitting duck if she went there, because Adam at least would obviously want to shower after his match. She spun on her heel and instead ran to the small bathroom nearby that contained only a toilet and sink. She shut and locked the door behind her, not turning on the light, her breathing heavy. She mentally cursed herself a few seconds later, remembering that Amy was in the earlier stages of pregnancy. She prayed that the other woman would not need to suddenly use the bathroom.

*

Adam turned the knob of the door of the locker room he and Jay were sharing. Amy walked in and he followed, and they both looked around.

"Jay's not here," Adam said with a lascivious grin, all his teeth displayed.

Amy grinned back at him. "Good..." She moved forward until she was in his arms. "...This might sound like a silly thing to say, but I can't wait till I'm able to mix it up with your opponents again."

"Oh, yeah?" Adam nuzzled her neck.

"Yeah..." Amy murmured, savoring the feel of his lips and tongue against her skin. "...I like physically helping out my man."

"Mmm...then why don't you help him out in the shower?" Adam said playfully as he gazed down into her eyes intensely. He gently backed her against the wall, moving his hands up to either side of her face.

Amy smiled up at him, her eyes never wavering from his. "Sounds like a good idea..."

Adam chuckled and lowered his lips on hers, kissing her deeply and passionately. Amy kissed him back, loving the feel of his hot tongue pressed against hers.

*

Enveloped in the darkness of the bathroom, leaning against the door, one hand pressed against it, Stephanie nearly let out an audible gasp. They were right in the next room, and they were going to have sex in the shower! She thought she was going to be sick.

_It should be me out there kissing him_, Steph thought bitterly. Her heart pounded in double beat a moment later when she heard Adam utter, "I love you."

_I love you, too_, she thought. Her romantic thoughts turned to disgust when she heard Amy say those exact words a second later.

Stephanie frowned as she pressed her ear to the bathroom door. She heard more kissing, soft moans, and what she knew to be the sounds of clothing being removed. She was so upset, she nearly hit the door with one hand. Her right hand was poised to slam palm into it, but she stopped herself just before she reached the door. She hated her life.

*

After Adam had his wrestling boots unlaced and off and Amy had her shoes off, he pulled her into his embrace and kissed her. She kissed him back and toyed with the waistband of his red velvet tights, allowing her hand entrance at the back of them. She gently squeezed one of his buttocks and giggled as they continued to kiss.

Adam lifted up Amy's shirt, which was red, as she liked to color coordinate with him, and tossed it onto the floor. As Amy continued to giggle, Adam lowered his head to her chest and bit a piece of black lace that was the top of one of her bra cups. Amy twined her fingers into his long, soft blond locks and lifted his head to hers to kiss his lips again.


	30. Alternate Ending 6

Stephanie's eyes widened as she listened to the pair in the next room carry on. She could intuitively tell from every sound what Adam and Amy were doing and when.

Suddenly, their voices and laughter sounded a bit closer. Steph then realized that they were heading into the shower room, which was very close to the lavatory in which she was hiding. She was able to picture them perfectly - vividly, particularly Adam, who was the only one she wanted to envision, anyway. His long blond hair, along with his body, was probably slightly sweaty from his recent match. His beautiful green eyes were probably slightly glazed over in his current aroused state, a gorgeous smile on his full, luscious lips, his erection full and unbelievably hard...

Stephanie suddenly realized she was perspiring slightly, and a thin line of drool oozed from one corner of her mouth. She shook off her mesmerized feeling and contemplated how she was going to get out of there. Should she make a run for it now, while Adam and the tramp were just getting "warmed up" in the shower?

_No_, she told herself. It wasn't quite the right time. She would go when she knew they were fully in the act, when even the slightest accidental noise from her couldn't sway them. She didn't want them to know she'd been there. She shuddered to think of the repercussions. At the very least, they would most likely complain to her father. And if that happened, maybe they would even tell him about the shower incident.

A minute later, Stephanie heard the sound of water from a shower spray. It sounded oddly close to her ears, but then she realized it was the normal thing that always happens with familiar pipes and plumbing.

A frightening thought suddenly hit her. What if Jay Reso suddenly returned to this locker room? But then, if they didn't care so much about being so discreet, they would have gone into that shower regardless of whether Jay was there.

_But there's always a chance of a mixup occurring_, Steph told herself. She just had to rely on sheer hope that Jay would not come back anytime soon, or else she would be trapped in the bathroom a lot longer than she'd expected.

Stephanie's head turned sharply in the direction of the shower room when she suddenly heard Adam's voice.

"Oh, God, Amy...you're _so_ tight!"

Stephanie frowned, and her jaw dropped with disappointment. She bit her tongue as she heard his further exclamations of pleasure. Before long, Amy added her own, and Steph could feel her blood pounding through her veins in her anger. If she could hear only Adam's voice, and without _her_ name added, she could actually enjoy this. She could then easily imagine that it was herself he was making love to.

Stephanie closed her eyes as she continued listening. Her breath came slightly faster as she pictured Adam - beautiful Adam - in the throes of passion and ecstasy.

Oh, God...she had to get out of this bathroom and find Chris. She was getting so horny she couldn't stand it. She slowly turned the knob on the door and pushed as quietly as she could manage. The door squeaked slightly, but not much.

The sounds from the shower room were even louder out in the main area of the locker room. Stephanie stood just outside the door and stared at it as if she could see within.

She felt a sudden, uncontrollable urge. Biting her lip and debating with herself, she placed one hand softly against the knob.

It didn't take her long to make up her mind. Holding her breath, she slowly and carefully turned the knob. She braced herself as the door opened just a crack, biting her tongue.

She could see them clearly - they were all the way to the right. Luckily, they were facing away from her. Steph's eyes widened as she watched them.

They were both drenched, Adam thrusting rapidly into Amy from behind. She was slightly bent over at the waist in front of him, her palms pressed flat against the cool tiles of the wall in front of her. Adam's hands held Amy's hips firmly, controlling most of her movements. They were both moaning, now not as softly as they'd been before.

Stephanie gaped at the couple, transfixed, her eyes lingering on Adam's firm glutes. She found it ironic that she should catch them locked in her favorite position. She vowed that later that night, she would do the same with Chris - and of course, she would fantasize that he was Adam.

*

When Stephanie returned to her locker room, she was both dismayed and relieved that Chris was not there - dismayed because what she had just witnessed had turned her on fiercely, and relieved because she was about to uncover something the likes of which Chris would never approve.

Her breath still coming in short, fast gasps, Steph knelt on the floor by one of her large suitcases. She quickly undid the lock with a tiny key and snapped it open, then felt around through a myriad of garments before her hand touched what she was seeking.

She closed her hand around it, lifting the object out of the suitcase, her blue eyes glued to its cleverly crafted form. A tiny smile formed on her lips, and she nodded. The sooner she carried out the plan she'd been brewing over the past week, the better. Now, she just had to be patient and grasp the opportunity when it presented itself.

*

Adam gently and lovingly rubbed Amy down with a towel. They had just finished their shower, which had lasted longer than either of them had expected.

After wrapping a towel around his hips, Adam leaned over and kissed Amy on the lips. She kissed him back quickly, then pulled away and said, "I've got to get back to my locker room for a change of clothes." Because she'd gone with Adam straight to his locker room after his match, Amy didn't have fresh clothing to change into.

"Okay, baby," he said, moving one hand to touch her stomach, and their baby, who was growing within. He moved his hand to hers and gripped it as they made their way out of the shower room. "I'll meet you by your locker room as soon as I get dressed and get all my stuff together."

"Okay." Amy smiled, and Adam kissed her once more before she left.


	31. Alternate Ending 7

**_A/N: Thanks to TakerTakeMe for the last few reviews! I'm honored that you are enjoying this story, as I love your work as well! ;)_**

Stephanie roamed the arena hallway like a thief. She stood off several feet as she suddenly realized that Jay and Trish were in front of a locker room - the one she knew Trish and Amy were sharing. She was much too far away to hear the conversation they were having, but she saw Jay place one hand casually against the wall while Trish pressed her back against it in a very flirting manner. A moment later, they were kissing.  
_Okay, already_! Stephanie thought as their kiss seemed to go on forever. Her annoyance dissipated when Jay finally lifted his head from Trish's, and she watched Trish enter the room, and only then did Jay turn to walk the opposite way down the hall.

Stephanie sighed, glad that neither of them had seen her. She stalked closer to the room into which Trish had just disappeared, pausing for a moment. Then she continued walking the length of the hall, glad that the immediate area was deserted. She hoped Amy would happen by at any moment.

She got her wish. Amy suddenly appeared, her hair still damp from her recent "shower," clad in the same clothes she'd worn to ringside for Adam's match.

Stephanie's face broadened into a grin as she gently fingered the object she had concealed in the right pocket of her brown leather jacket.

*

Amy was still several yards from her locker room when she suddenly noticed Stephanie McMahon, who was grinning, heading toward her. Despite the smile, something about the other woman's facial expression unnerved her.

"Why, hello, Amy..." she suddenly spoke. The voice chilled Amy to the bone.

Amy didn't respond and tried to walk faster. However, as she was about to pass, Stephanie suddenly sprang out and grabbed her by the arm. Amy was shocked by the surprising force of the grip. "Let me go!" she cried.

"Oh, no," Stephanie hissed, moving her face closer to Amy's. "Not a chance...you're coming with me, bitch..." She moved her free hand slightly out of her jacket pocket.

Amy's eyes widened with fright and shock when she caught sight of the gun.

"...Do we understand each other?" Steph demanded, her tone still dangerously low.

Too scared to speak, Amy nodded, her eyes still wide. Stephanie tightened her grip on her upper arm, her nails digging into Amy's flesh. Wincing, Amy let out a soft whimper of pain.

"Then, let's move..." Steph released her grip on the other woman's arm but linked her own arm with Amy's. "...That's it," she said, a fake smile plastered on her pretty face. "We're just two girlfriends spending some quality time together..."

Amy felt as if she were in a daze as Stephanie forced her outside of the arena and into the parking lot. She shivered at the sensation of the chilly February air against her, as Stephanie had not allowed her to get a jacket.

_Oh, God...Adam, save me_! she thought.

As they approached a waiting black limosine, Amy suddenly felt a stirring of hope. Maybe she could get out of the door on her side and make a run for it.

"Get in," Stephanie demanded in a whisper. Then, as if reading Amy's thoughts, she added, "And don't try anything funny, like going out that door." She positioned the nozzle of the gun in her pocket between Amy's shoulder blades.

Amy glanced nervously at her, then did as she was told. She fleetingly thought of alerting the chauffer, but soon realized that wouldn't work. As Stephanie got in after her, ordering the driver to take them back to the hotel, she immediately pushed a privacy button after speaking to him.

"That's just so the chauffer won't hear our little girl talk and butt in on our business."

Amy swallowed hard. The driver couldn't hear them, no matter how loud she might scream. She stared at Stephanie nervously, her mouth dry as ashes.

When she was finally able to find her voice, she asked, "Wh-why are you doing this, Stephanie?"

"Why? _Why_!" Stephanie laughed maniacally, then stopped as she glared at Amy, a cold gleam in her blue eyes. "That's a pretty stupid question."

Amy didn't reply, shrinking slightly back against her side of the seat.

"You really don't get it, do you?" Steph said. Braver now that nobody could see or hear them, she removed the .38 Special from her pocket. She brandished it out at the other woman. Aiming the weapon at her, Steph said calmly, "You know, I should really just shoot you now for asking such a dumb question." She glanced quickly out the window, placing the gun back in her pocket. Then, turning back toward Amy, she smiled. "Oh, look, we're here...come on, we're getting ourselves our very own new, private room."

Amy shook slightly, only partly from the cold, as she regarded her captor. All of this felt like a bad dream. It felt as if any moment, she would wake up, open her eyes and see Adam laying beside her in their hotel room bed. What was Stephanie going to do? Kill her? She felt tears burning under her eyelids but didn't allow them freedom.

Stephanie linked her arm through Amy's as they got out of the limo and made their way into the hotel. She was glad to see no familiar faces. She marched Amy up to the registration desk and demanded, "We need a room right away."

The clerk, a middle-aged man with near-black hair, was startled because he recognized them. "But miss...don't you already have rooms?"

"We got into fights with our boyfriends and haven't yet resolved things," Stephanie declared quickly, not even blinking as an explanation so instantly came to her. "We need some time away from them for now...a room, please...preferably something away from other people."

The clerk nodded. "Yes, right away..." He wrote something down in a book and located a set of keys, handing them to her.

"Thank you."

Amy nearly cried out as Stephanie jerked her by her arm toward the stairwell. She again thought of Adam - by now, he must have realized she was missing and wondered what had happened to her. She hoped that somehow, he would find her - and rescue her.


	32. Alternate Ending 8

**_A/N: Thanks again to TakerTakeMe for the last review. LOL, you crack me up! :D_**

Adam knocked on the door to Amy's locker room down the hall from his own, his duffel bag slung over his shoulder. After a moment, the door opened and Trish peered out at him.

"Hi, Adam..."

"Hi, Trish...Is Amy ready yet?"

Trish's smile disappeared and a look of confusion replaced it. "She's not here," she said.

Adam frowned. "Not here? But she just left my locker room a few minutes ago to change her clothes."

"She's not here, Adam...I haven't even seen her since she left for your match."

"Can I come in, Trish?"

"Sure." She stepped aside to allow him entrance into the room.

Adam surveyed the room, turning circles. He pushed his long blond hair back and glanced around in confusion. "Her stuff is all still here," he noted. He spotted her jacket still slung over the back of a chair. He glanced back over at Trish, who was looking at him with concern. "Her jacket is still here, so she wouldn't have just left the arena."

"I'm sure she's probably around somewhere," Trish finally said as she attempted to smile. She thought something was weird, though, because Amy would always return to their locker room and not run around the arena to gossip with all the wrestlers. "Maybe she's visiting Matt and Jeff," she offered.

"Good point," Adam said. "I bet she did go to visit them. Catch you later, Trish." He trotted toward the door and left, heading toward the Hardys' locker room.

Five minutes later, he was disappointed as he left the brothers' room. Amy had not been there at all.

*

Stephanie finished tying Amy to a chair in the hotel room, satisfied after she tested the security of the rope she'd kept hidden in one of her bags. "There...that should do it," she said, then straightened up.

Amy stared up at her fearfully, her arms tied behind her back, ankles tied together. "Please," she begged. "You can't do this, Stephanie!"

"Like _hell_ I can't!" Steph yelled, bending down and coming eye-to-eye with Amy. "Shut up," she ordered, lowering her voice to a loud whisper. "Let me tell you right now that if you scream at any time while you're here, you'll be sorry." She retrieved her gun from on top of the desk between the two Queen-size beds and showed it to her.

Amy bit her lip, stifling whimpers of fright and frustration.

"You _know_ why I'm doing this, Amy," Stephanie insisted. "But let me tell you anyway..." She began to pace the area in front of Amy's chair, back-and-forth, back-and-forth. "You see, once upon a time - actually, three years ago, I had a little something with Adam Copeland. We kept an eye on one another for awhile, flirted a little, until I finally asked him out. He accepted, and he picked me up at my parents' mansion in Stamford, Connecticut for our date. He liked me a lot. He told me he had never been so flattered before than he was when I asked him out. He made himself so beautiful for me that night..." She smiled as she remembered him standing in the doorway as she'd been coming down the stairs to meet him.

"...He told me how gorgeous I looked," she continued, by now seeming completely unaware of Amy. "He had a bouquet of pink and white roses for me. What a sweetheart. We went out to a fancy restaurant for dinner, and we were supposed to go to a movie afterward, but we just sat and talked instead."

Amy's eyes never left Stephanie as she spoke, tears running in salty tracks down her cheeks. She didn't want to hear any more of this.

"When we were back in his car and he was going to take me home, I made Adam an offer," Stephanie said. "I invited him in to spend the night...I was so alluring and so charming...I promised him a night he would never forget. I told him all the things I wanted to do with him - _to_ him."

Amy stared at the other woman as she reminisced. She sobbed silently, fearing that Stephanie would snap at any moment and turn on her. What if she suddenly decided to get physical, even though she was tied helplessly to a chair? She feared for the baby inside her.

Stephanie stopped her pacing and stood directly in front of Amy, her eyes boring into her. "I told him I could see myself spending the rest of my life with him...I said I wanted to have his baby. And then _you_ suddenly came on the scene and that was it!" Her expression turned furious. "You took Adam from me!"

"No, I didn't!" Amy protested in despair. "You only went on one date with him - _one_ date!"

Quick as a flash, Stephanie reached over and slapped her sharply across her left cheek. Amy's head was rocked back by the force of the blow, and her cheek reddened. Her sobs became audible as she bowed her head, now refusing to look at the other woman.

"Shut up!" Stephanie shouted. "I said _shut up_! Godamnit, do you know how much I _hate_ you? You're nothing but a tramp! If it wasn't for _you_, I would still have Adam!"

Amy closed her eyes, her head suddenly spinning with Stephanie's madness. The girl was completely delusional. As long as she'd known Adam, and long before they'd become a couple, she'd never known him to even speak two words to Stephanie McMahon.


	33. Alternate Ending 9

**_A/N: Thanks to TakerTakeMe and Medieval Mystic for the last pair of reviews. ;)_**

Adam searched the hallway for Amy, but to no avail. He knocked on several locker room doors with the same result - like Matt and Jeff Hardy, no one had seen Amy since Adam's match.

Adam was worried. Where was she? He returned to the locker room she'd been sharing with Trish and was surprised to see the door already open, the petite blonde glancing out at the hallway in concern as she stood in the doorway. She looked up as Adam approached.

"Still no sign of Amy?" she asked.

"No...I asked around and no one's seen her," he said.

Trish stared into his eyes fearfully, knowing instintively that something was very wrong.

"Trish," Adam said, "I'm worried."

"So am I...I...packed up her things already," she added. "Maybe you should take them back to the hotel."

"Where the fuck _is_ she!" Adam shouted. "Where can she be?"

Trish didn't reply as he entered the room past her and gathered up Amy's bag and jacket. She knew as well as Adam did that whatever happened to Amy, it was something sinister.

*

Stephanie lifted another object out from her suitcase as Amy watched from her chair-prison. She tested the ropes that bound her wrists together, praying they might be loose.

Her eyes widened as her tormentor straightened up and approached her. Stephanie had put aside her gun, which now lay forgotten for a moment, in favor of a gleaming butcher knife.

_Oh, my God_! Amy thought as she stared at the object, her eyes never leaving it. Her heart thudded like a jackhammer in her chest.

Stephanie laughed. "What's the matter, Amy? Where's the tough broad everyone knows and loves? Where's the high-flying daredevil girl _now_?" she taunted.

Amy began to cry again. "Stephanie, please," she pleaded in a soft voice. "Please don't hurt me or my baby..."

Dropping the knife on the table, Steph grabbed her gun again. She aimed it directly at Amy's head. "Don't you _ever_ talk to me about your baby again! Do you think I care about _your_ baby!"

Amy's sobs became choked hiccups. She stared at the other woman in despair. How was she going to get out of this alive?

"You never should have gotten pregnant with Adam's baby in the first place!" Steph yelled. "The only woman he should be sleeping with is _me_! _I_ should be having his baby! There has always been something special between us, and-"

Amy's terror quickly turning into rage, she interrupted the manic speech. "There is _nothing_ between you and Adam!" she shouted. "_Nothing_! There never has been and there never _will_ be, so give it up! He hates you! Do you understand that? _Hates_ you!"

Stephanie glared at Amy in shocked disbelief for a moment, then reached out and slapped her hard across the face again.

Amy spat on her angrily, catching Steph's left cheek. "He is _not_ your boyfriend - he's _mine_, Stephanie! No matter what sick, twisted ideas you have, that is reality!"

Stephanie wiped the spit off her face, then hit Amy again, only this time with the butt of the .38. As the cold, hard steel struck Amy's temple, she felt herself suddenly blacking out.


	34. Alternate Ending 10

**_A/N: Thanks again to TakerTakeMe for the last review! :)_**

Adam paced the length of his hotel room furiously. He was waiting for the head of the arena security department to get back to him, as he had explained his situation to the man - that his girlfriend, who was a wrestler and who had accompanied him to the ring for his match earlier that night, had gone missing.

Jay and Trish had gone with him when he'd made the report, and had offered to sit with him while he waited for the call, but he'd insisted he just wanted to be alone. They'd left him reluctantly, and now, here he was.

The sudden ringing of his cell phone made him jump. He reached over for the phone and answered it frantically.

"Hello?"

"Hello...Mr. Copeland? This is Dan Witherspoon getting back to you...We haven't heard or seen anything regarding your girlfriend here at the arena."

Adam cursed mentally. Aloud, he said, "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely sure...she isn't here."

"Thanks," he said, then pushed the button to end the call. He was angry and worried simultaneously. Where the hell could she be?

All of a sudden, Adam thought of Chris Irvine. He recalled how furious Chris had been when he'd walked into that room while he'd been holding Stephanie McMahon up off the floor by her throat, pinning her violently against the wall. Chris had always been a friend, but was it possible that he could be mad enough at Adam so as to physically attack his girlfriend in retaliation? Adam didn't want to believe it, but at this point, he was desperate and could believe almost anything.

He fled out of hotel room and rushed down the hall to the room he knew to be Chris and Stephanie's. He banged relentlessly on the door.

"Alright, already! Keep your pants on!" he heard Chris cry from beyond.

When the door opened, Adam surprised the other man by instantly grabbing him by the front of his shirt, his right hand clenched into a fist and poised to strike.

"What the-"

"Alright, where the hell is she?!" Adam yelled, cutting off his words.

"What the hell are you talking about? Where is _who_?!"

"Amy! What the fuck have you done with her?"

Chris pulled away from Adam as he glared up at him with his crystal-blue eyes. "You know what? I'm getting sick and fucking tired of guys coming to my room and threatening me! Okay, maybe I deserved it from Paul Levesque, since I was seeing his financee - but I haven't done anything with or _to_ Amy, so back off, Adam!"

Adam stared at Chris. He seemed to be telling the truth. After a moment, he calmed down a bit and said, "I'm sorry, Chris."

"Amy's missing? That's odd, because I haven't seen Steph all night..."

Adam frowned as a horrifying thought suddenly occurred to him at Chris' words. Amy was missing, and Stephanie McMahon's boyfriend claimed to have not seen her all night? Without another word to the other man, he abruptly turned around and made a mad dash for the stairwell. _Oh, shit_!

He rushed to the front desk and called to the man behind it. "Excuse me," Adam said. "Have you seen my girlfriend? She's five-seven, long red hair, hazel eyes..."

The man nodded. "She and another woman came in about an hour ago and got a new room..."

"Another woman?" Adam questioned frantically. "Who was she?"

The clerk noted the worried expression on the young man's face. "She's with the Wrestling Federation, like you and your girlfriend are...tall, long dark hair, blue eyes...attractive."

_Stephanie_! Adam thought with horror. "Can you tell me what room they're in?"

"I don't know if I should," the man said. "The brunette said that she and the other girl had fights with you and her boyfriend and wanted some time away from the both of you."

"Damn it!" Adam spat, restraining himself from reaching over the desk and grabbing the man by the lapels of his blazer. "She was lying - my girlfriend and I did _not_ have a fight!"

The clerk considered Adam's request but then made up his mind. "I don't think I should give you the room number, out of the women's privacy, sir...but I will give you the phone number, if you wish."

"Yes, please do," Adam said angrily. He was pissed.

In a moment, the man handed a small piece of paper to him with a number on it. After he briefly thanked him, Adam turned on his heel and rushed back up to his room. Once there, he instantly took out his cell phone and dialed.

"Hello?"

Adam hesitated as he recognized the voice of Stephanie McMahon. She sounded annoyed, as if he had intruded upon something. After a moment, he spoke.

"Stephanie, what the fuck are you up to?!" he demanded furiously. "What have you done with Amy?"

He heard her throaty laugh before she spoke again. "Why, Adam...good to hear from you. Don't worry - Amy and I are just having a little fun - you know, girl stuff. But you're welcome to join the party."

"I'm warning you - if you do anything to hurt her-"

"Get over here, Adam," Stephanie demanded, her voice reduced to a hiss. "If you want your precious Amy, you'll have to get your beautiful ass over here. We're in room 567 - and I'm warning you - don't try anything funny."

Without replying, Adam pressed the call button to end the connection. He was furious and wished he'd used the regular phone so he could have slammed the receiver down into Stephanie's ear. "Damn!" he yelled. He fled the room and took the stairs up two flights to the fifth floor - he was on his way to Amy.


	35. Alternate Ending 11

**_A/N: Thanks again to TakerTakeMe for the last review. :) Well, this is it, the final chapter of the Alternate Ending... And so, that will conclude _Delusional_ this time around. Be sure to check out _Delusional: The Beginning_, though. I will be updating that one here and there. Enjoy! ;)_**

Word of Stephanie McMahon's kidnapping of Amy Dumas spread throughout the WWF roster like wildfire, despite the McMahons' attempts to keep everything quiet. Chris Irvine was affected the most by the news. He was heartbroken upon hearing the news, as he had lost his girlfriend.

Mr. McMahon had Stephanie put in a facilty where she could get the help she needed. He had been either in complete denial or shock upon hearing the vicious acts his little girl had committed. In his mind, Stephanie couldn't possibly be capable of such things.

Immediately after the incident, Amy had gone to another doctor to get checked out. She knew instinctively that everything was all right and still normal, but she wanted to make absolutely sure. To Adam's and her relief, everything was fine. Life was quickly going back to normal for all those involved and not involved in the nightmarish incident.

*

_The following week, Phoenix, Arizona, RAW is War_

Adam was nervous but excited at the same time as he sat in the locker room waiting for his time to appear. He periodically checked his watch, as he was wearing his street clothes tonight. He didn't have a match scheduled until tomorrow's SmackDown taping.

"Hey, calm down, man," Jay said as he slapped a friendly hand against Adam's shoulder. "Everything'll be fine."

"I know," he replied. "I'm just anxious, that's all."

Jay chuckled. "Well, that's only natural."

Adam glanced at his watch for what he thought had to be the hundredth time in the past half-hour. "It's almost time," he said. "I'd better go meet Amy now."

"Okay," Jay said. "Trish and I will be watching back here, rooting you on...good luck, Adam." He smiled and gave him a thumbs-up sign.

"Thanks," Adam said, exhaling a deep breath. He went out to the hallway, nearly colliding into Amy, who had just approached the door. Her arm was raised, fist poised to knock.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, laughing. "Ready, babe? We're almost on."

"Yup, I'm ready."

They had about five minutes to spare. They walked together to the curtain by the ramp to wait.

Amy gazed up at Adam lovingly and grasped his hand. She noticed that he looked pretty nervous. _Well, it isn't_ every _day you challenge the WWF champion to a title shot_, she thought.

Adam ran his free hand through his silky golden locks. _I'm not going to choke up out there_, he promised himself as he gazed fondly at Amy.

Before he knew it, a stage hand came and directed them to go out to the arena. As Adam heard the opening line of his theme song blaring - "_You think you know me_..." - he pushed his way through the curtain, Amy at his side.

Lilian Garcia's voice rang loud and clear. "From Toronto, Canada, making his way to the ring, being accompanied by Lita - Edge!"

As they got closer to the ring, Adam stepped in front of Amy so that he was on the apron first. He put out his hand for her, and she took it, and he held the ropes open for her so she could enter first.

Adam glanced over at Lilian and reached out to take the microphone from her. She handed it to him, and he waited patiently until his music stopped playing. Amy stood nearby and watched him as he surveyed the crowd and then turned to face her. He gave her a warm, loving smile before lifting the mic up to his lips.

"You know something? I'm at a point in my life where I want to take chances...I'm a very lucky man." He surveyed the crowd, then turned to gaze intensely at Amy. He pushed his dark sunglasses up over his eyes and he stared at her. She gazed back at him curiously.

Adam continued, glancing out at the audience. "I came out here tonight claiming that I was going to issue a challenge to Triple H to face him for a title shot, but that's not the case." He focused his gaze back on Amy. "But in reality, I came out here to ask _you_ something..."

Amy's eyes widened slightly as she gazed at Adam quizzically. She had no idea what he was talking about.

Taking hold of Amy's left hand, Adam lowered himself to one knee in the center of the ring. As Amy realized what he was about to do, she gasped softly in surprise and clapped her free hand against her mouth. She mouthed, "_Oh, my God_" as she felt her eyes beginning to well up with tears. The fans began to respond to Adam's gesture as well with shouts and screams and applause.

"Amy," Adam said, getting out of character, as he was about to do the most important thing of his life, "I have never loved anyone as much as I love you...You have made me the happiest man alive, but you can make me even happier..."

Amy wept silently as she gazed down at him. She couldn't believe this, had never expected it. She felt that she had never loved this man more than she did at that very moment.

Adam reached into one of his pants pockets and pulled out a diamond ring. "...Amy, will you marry me?"

"Oh, my God," she exclaimed softly, the tears running freely down her cheeks. She was practically speechless and had never felt so surprised as she was at that moment. "Yes, of _course_ I'll marry you, Adam," she cried.

Adam slipped the diamond onto her finger and stood up to hug her as his face broke out into a broad grin. Amy laughed, her tears still flowing, as she held tightly to him, the fans applauding and roaring their approval.

"I love you," Adam said, his face close to hers as he held her back slightly to gaze into her eyes. He lowered his head to kiss her, and she kissed him back with all her heart and soul.

"Alright!" Jay said with approval from his spot in front of one of the TV monitors in the locker room backstage. He gestured happily as he watched his friends get engaged on live national television. Then, glancing over at Trish, who was standing at his side, he squeezed her hand in his. She smiled warmly back at him.

"That's so beautiful," she said. "It's so great to see them so happy...That is _so_ wonderful."

"Yeah," Jay agreed. "Adam is such a lucky guy." He gazed at Trish. "And so am _I_." He enveloped her in an embrace and kissed her tenderly. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back fervently.

*

Later that night, in their hotel room, Adam and Amy made love. Afterward, they lay spent in one another's arms. Amy lay her head on Adam's muscular chest, listening to his strong and steady heartbeat.

She felt like she was in heaven. Was this all a dream? _No_, she thought as she childishly reached out to pinch her left arm. She was so happy. She was going to be married to the man she loved, and she was having his child. Life couldn't be more perfect.

Adam gently fingered her face, gently caressing her cheek, chin and lips. "Penny for your thoughts," he said with a smile, his green eyes sparkling happily as he moved his hand to her right arm and fingered her massive tattoo.

Amy smiled. "I was just thinking about how I'm the luckiest girl in the world...I love you, Adam Copeland." She leaned over until her lips were on his and they were kissing deep and passionately. Afterward, she lay her head back on his chest.

Adam put his arm around her waist and snuggled closer to her. "I love you, too," he said dreamily. He was so happy. Soon, they both fell asleep, content in one another's arms and in their solid, unbreakable love.

_End_


End file.
